Forest of Madness
by DragonHeart524
Summary: An Island and hoards of bloodthirsty madmen. With all of the snares, traps, and battles deep within the trees, can a lost Team 7 survive? One prisinor watches, and sees the acient past in the faces of the terrified ninja. Will this stranger help or hurt?
1. Chapter 1

Naruto:

Forest of Madness

Written by- Dragon Heart

Edited by- Puma

Kali sat on a high branch of a tree and watched the three ninja as they tried to navigate the woods she had become so familiar with. Her brown hair was cut in a pixie-cut and only her bangs where slightly longer than her chin. Her slitted golden eyes watched with a calm joy that was usually never shown to anyone's face. As a matter of fact, she hardly even had that look on her face. Her cloths were black with deep green pads on the knees and her chest. She also wore a quiver on her back full of arrows with her bow swung over her shoulder by the bowstring. Something you usually don't see on anyone that you saw on Kali was her wolf-like ears and tail; they were part of her like her legs and hands and she used them daily to her advantage. It is unknown how she came across these gifts, but they're there.

The three ninja walked calmly and quietly unaware they were being watched. The leading ninja, by gathered information Kali knew him as Sasuke, had black hair and black eyes. His shirt was blue and had a symbol on the back Kali did not recognize at the moment. The other boy, Naruto, wore a large orange jumpsuit and had blond hair and blue eyes. The third and final ninja was a girl with pink hair and light green eyes; her name was Sakura.

Even in the short time watching them, Kali knew they would have no chance in her home. Why were they here anyway? Usually people here were hardcore, bloodthirsty monsters with only torture and killing on their minds. These people didn't strike Kali as the murderous type, and if that's true, they were most likely thrown in here as new prey which happened a lot more frequently the past few weeks. Kali watched until the ninja were out of sight before she slipped out of her tree and to the ground. _At least they don't leave and obvious trail_, Kali thought to herself as she observed the footprints. _They are definitely not from around here._ She rose and thought for a minute. The supposed leader Sasuke seemed like an okay fighter, but what about the others? It was like someone wanted these three dead before sundown or something.

Kali suddenly shot off as fast as lightning in the opposite direction of the ninja. She quickly arrived by a small house and knocked lightly. An old man that was much shorter than Kali (Even though she was just twelve) opened the door. Kali bowed deeply.

"Janoh Sensei, I come with a question of mighty importance," Kali said quietly. The old man, wrinkled and hunched, stepped out of the way to allow Kali in. She entered, but did not sit.

"What is your question, Kali?" Janoh Sensei asked with a cheery smile.

"Do you see kindness in me?" she asked.

"What does this mean?" Janoh said in a gruff grandpa voice as he looked at her in confusion. Kali looked away in the second of silence, "Well, let's see. You listened to this old man many a time when you could have easily killed him; that is patience… But you have never shown true kindness on purpose. The kindness you have shown is- how shall I put it- it is a hard kindness done to protect but not to earn any kind of gratitude." Kali looked back.

"What do you mean?"

"When you constantly protect me, it is as of you must, not that you wish to. That is kindness. I think the real kindness in buried in you somewhere; you just have to find it." Kali nodded.

"Thank you, Sensei. I also may need some more arrows." Janoh walked to a back room of his two-room shack and soon returned with a quiver full of arrows. The quiver was not as scratched as Kali's present one.

"I've been working on a new arrow for you. They are the rough-feathered ones in the mix- only three." Kali took the quiver and replaced her old one on her shoulder. She pulled out a rough arrow and observed it closely. It was different than the ones she usually has, but she couldn't find how.

"What is the difference?" she asked while handing him the worn quiver."You'll see. Only shoot it in a fight; not as target practice or you will dull the end."

"Yes, Sensei. Thank you for your wisdom." With one more bow, Kali left her sensei's house and jumped away. Before continuing, Kali changed into her normal cloths. Her top was a no-sleeve shirt that stopped at the middle of the stomach; it was a buckskin color. Her pants were slightly above the knee and covered by a long dress-like skirt with long slits up to her hips that was the same color. After putting her other cloths in the pack on her waist, she continued. She had made up her mind; with these new arrows she would secretly protect those ninja until they could get out. Maybe this would make this strange sense of responsibility she was feeling subside.

Sakura felt like she had been walking for hours now (probably because she had), and still no sign of the end of this forest. The boys had a big fight this morning and now they were silent for most of the day. Her attempts to start conversation were useless. Sasuke had told her that being quiet was important since they had no idea what could be watching them. Sakura was sure someone heard them this morning the way they were yelling and all, but she just nodded as an answer. Naruto walked with his hands on his head, and seemed to be fuming. This experience had been a disaster from the start.

Soon, they came upon a river that was swollen over its banks. This was bad. They can't cross very easily. Sasuke thought for a minute, he was not in the mood for this. Suddenly, a man shot from a tree across the bank and dunked a container into the water. He noticed the three almost immediately. Sasuke and Naruto prepared for a fight warily as the man stood. His clothes were like the ones worn by insane people; the shirt looked like it was supposed to have restrained his arms, but had been freed. His hair was spiked and black. He laughed to himself.

"You aren't from around here, are you?" He said in a disgusting voice. "Tell me: Where are you heading strangers?" Sakura was about to say something.

"Don't say anything," Sasuke said firmly. The guy tilted his head.

"Ah, so you aren't as foolish as you look." Kali jumped to a nearby branch just as this was being said. Her ears twitched in interest and her eyes studied the situation. Miliko the murderer. Three ninja. Miliko knows the ways of these woods. They don't. She watched intently noticing every detail that could be imagined. The river was too wide for even Miliko to jump, but since he was sent from an insane asylum, Kali wouldn't put it past him to try.

Sasuke was getting more and more nervous as the silence dragged on. Moliko finally spoke again.

"You had better watch it," he said, "You're lucky this time." He jumped of quickly with no confrontation. Kali noticed she was holding her breath and let it out silently. Sasuke didn't seem to relax much, but Naruto did. He sighed and gave a nervous laugh.

"Wow, that was close," he said. Kali then observed how they could get across. They could knock over one of the rotted trees and walk; climb and jump through the canopy; or the foolish way of trying to swim. Hopefully they would jump through the canopy. It was the safest way; maybe that Sasuke fellow would see that. After a brief conversation, the three did as Kali had thought and climbed. Kali sat silent and invisible as they passed through her area of observation. When they had reached the other side, they continued on their way.

Kali noticed something was off. She looked and listened carefully. Breathing was heard. It was carefully slow and well hidden, but not to Kali's ears. She drew her arrow on her bow tightly. It made only the slightest stretching noise before she shot it directly at her target. The man fell out of the tree and into the river. Kali jumped over and retrieved the arrow that had stuck in the tree. The small dots of blood on the head of the arrow showed she had hit her mark.

The three ninja looked in surprise at the river where the man had fallen in. Kali moved further back into the woods so she wouldn't get in a scuffle. A few minutes passed before Kali felt safe enough to return to the river. She washed her arrow and placed it back in her quiver. She sat in silence for a second. That was a clear example of how hard it would be to protect Sasuke and his friends.

She was confused at how the three seemed so calm. Most people who came here either went insane or died right off. The battles they must have had before she found them must have been amazingly tough since they had no idea what they were to expect. Kali was indeed impressed. There was only two other people she knew that had done such a thing.

The sunset came fast and the ninja settled down in a patch of trees. They didn't start a fire (wise move) and only talked in a quiet voice. Kali slipped onto a branch above and lay on her side and rested her head on her hand. She listened with eyes closed to all the conversations before they drifted off to sleep. Kali dropped out of the tree and looked at the three ninja up close. They looked worn and dirty. She felt sort of sorry for them. Kali looked at Sasuke for a minute. He was such a leader. She could see how someone would want him out of the way. But what about the others; Sakura was a girl of few traits and Naruto wasn't even aware of any danger…except maybe starvation.

Kali was aware that her new mission was something she had never attempted before. Protection wasn't her strong suit. Actually, it was her only trait in which she wasn't confident she was fit. She gave a silent sigh and got chills. Naruto rustled in his sleep but didn't wake. Kali could tell he was a heavy sleeper. He was a confusing person, but she would watch only Sasuke for now.

She went to the river, slipped into the cool water and sipped some from her hand. The water was a nice retreat from the warm day. She got out and shook most of the water off. After ringing out her tail she headed back to her tree. Taking one more look at the group her stomach tightened. Sasuke was missing from his spot! Kali, at first, panicked. She was supposed to be invisible; if he saw her or is in an attacking position her cover would be blown. She calmed herself and gripped her medium-sized blade on her waist. If he attacked she would defend herself.

Silence fell in and she heard fast breathing. That wasn't Sasuke's nervousness- that was fear! Kali jumped into a tree following the breaths. She finally found Sasuke in the arms of the biggest guy she had ever seen. The man was wearing black cloths and had a goatee-like beard. His eyes had evil flowing from them. Sasuke had a cloth in his mouth and was doing his best to free himself. He was doing quite well, but the man's grip was strong. Kali fought to not fire an arrow straight through the man's forehead. Her hands shook and one reached for the bow slowly.

She suddenly hatched an idea. Naruto and Sakura could fight! After returning to the beds, she tossed a rock and hit Naruto in the forehead. He sat up and rubbed his head. He looked at where Sasuke should be, thinking it was him who threw the stone, but Sasuke wasn't there.

"Sasuke?" he called in a slight daze. Naruto shook Sakura. "Hey, Sakura, Sasuke's gone!" Sakura sat up and yawned before looking around.

"Wha…?"

"Sasuke's gone!" They stood and searched franticly before finally finding Sasuke and the large man. By now, Sasuke was beaten badly and pinned on the ground. The large man was breathing deeply. Kali gritted her teeth. She knew the man was strong and they were going to have to fight very hard.

"You let go of Sasuke!" Sakura yelled. The man and Sasuke looked up surprised.

"How did you wake?" he said in a heavy voice. Sasuke struggled under the heavy weight of the man's arm. "Just stay out of the way, girl!"

"No way!!" Sakura said. Naruto was not behind her, but he wasn't far. Kali's heart jumped when she saw Naruto sneaking through the canopy. He ended up behind the man and preformed a quick hand signal.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!!" He yelled. Kali felt the rush of Chakra as about fifty Naruto's jumped at the man. The guy was surprised at the number of ninja, but Kali was just surprised that Naruto knew that advanced technique. The man was engulfed and Naruto soon overpowered him. Sakura rescued Sasuke and untied him. The man suddenly yelled and threw Naruto and his clones off. In his hand was an oversized metal gun. It wasn't a gun full of bullets, but something else. Kali studied it carefully. The clones disappeared- all except for the real Naruto who lay in front of the guy. Before he could sit up the barrel of the gun was pressed against his neck.

Kali's hands shook again. She could barely hold herself back. It wasn't her way sitting on the side. Sasuke drew his kunai and threw it. It struck the man in the arm, but didn't seem to be affected. The man raised his gun and fired. Sasuke jumped out of the way, but the man fired again. This time it struck Sasuke and his arm was pinned to a tree by a U-shaped piece of metal. He struggled to free himself, but to no avail. The man walked over, but Naruto and Sakura jumped in the way. With one swing the two were knocked out of the way. Naruto tried to get up, but the guy pointed the gun at Sasuke's throat.

"Any closer and the boy dies," the man said. Naruto froze. Sasuke reached for his shurukin. The man gripped Sasuke's arm and pushed it against the tree. Using the gun like a large staple-gun he shot a metal U over Sasuke's other arm. Sasuke struggled to free his arms; the only thing it did was make the metal cut his wrists slightly.

"What do you want with Sasuke!?" Sakura asked loudly. The man smiled evilly and looked at her.

"That is none of your business, girl," he said, "You two could have just kept sleeping and none of this would have happened." Naruto jumped at him with his kunai drawn, but the guy was faster than he looked. He swung around and struck Naruto in the head. Kali gasped and gripped the branch. She couldn't help but feel responsible for all this. As the man turned back to his business, it struck Sasuke that this wasn't right. He should have been able to defeat this man. The shots he fired were slow; why had they hit him?

Kali was having the same thought, but it was interrupted by Sasuke's words.

"Even though it isn't Sakura's business," he said strongly, "I want to know- what do you want with me?"

"Hahaha!!" the man laughed, "I want nothing to do with you!" A look of shock fell over all of them, including Kali. "I need you as bait for someone I DO need. There is only one person who knows how to get out of this crazy place and her name is"- He stopped mid-sentence. His smiling face was wiped of emotion and he fell face first onto the ground. Sasuke saw an arrow sticking out of the man's back and looked up to where it came from. All he saw was a flash of someone jumping away. Sakura snapped out of her daze and ran to Sasuke.

"Are you alright?" she asked while trying to pull one of the U-bars out. Sasuke's eyes scanned the trees.

"Where did that arrow come from…?" Sasuke said quietly. Sakura got the bar out with half of the tree it was planted in. The two ends of the bar were serrated, which explains the difficulty. She looked around.

"Do you think they're on our side?" she asked in the same low tone. Sasuke grabbed his kunai and jabbed it into the tree to dig out the other bar. It was deeper because it was shot at point blank. Sakura then went to Naruto, who had been knocked unconscious by the blow. Blood ran down his head from behind his ear and his headband.

Kali sat far away, held her bow with both hands and pressed it against her chest. Her eyes were shut and she breathed heavily. _Great_, she thought to herself, _now I lost an arrow AND revealed myself. And all because of that rotten behemoth of a man._ She then realized what else she had done; feeling the ends of her arrows she felt only two of the new arrows. A lump formed in her throat as she thought. What had that new arrow done? Killed him, of course, but doesn't that always happen? There was nothing to do now, but retrieve the arrow that was lost.


	2. Chapter 2

Sasuke sat by the new fire and looked at the arrow in his hand. Sakura had insisted on making a fire to boil the water from the river; she had no idea if it was poisoned or salty. Now it was about midnight, but neither Sakura nor Sasuke dared to sleep for fear another enemy would reveal itself. Kali wasn't happy about this. Sasuke had her arrow! That was a pet peeve of hers- having her weapon in someone else's hands. She held herself back, though. He was different than any enemy she had ever faced so she had to be patient.

"Hey, Sasuke…" Sakura started, "How did that large guy sneak up on you?" Sasuke thought for a minute.

"I'm not sure, but I think it was something he did to me," he replied. He looked at his hand. His wrists were bandaged from when he had cut them. He had felt so weak out there… why? Kali lay on her back with her head resting on her hands and her eyes closed. Her ears pricked slightly but her eyes remained shut. She ran through the abundant information in her mind trying to find the answer to that question.

She recognized the man from the previous shipment of criminals to the forest. He used his massive gun to pin down his enemies and torture them, but how could he have gotten his hands on Sasuke? She then remembered the many enemies she had faced that used the plants around here to make poisons. Kali sat up and flipped over the branch backwards. She sniffed carefully and sure enough, the light fragrance of poison drifted in the air. If the man had poisoned Sasuke, he had done it only slightly. She repositioned herself on her branch and closed her eyes. That small amount of poison was nothing to worry about now.

The next morning Kali awoke and looked down. The three were gone; just as she had expected. They couldn't have gotten far since it was still early. The sun was barely gleaming through the trees and the fresh dew delicately scented the air. The poison smell had dispersed to nothing by now. She jumped down and observed the campsite. This showed signs of the ninja moving out early. The fire had been smothered. When Kali touched the embers they were wet and cold. The grass was laid down on three spots.

From all these hints she concluded they must have slept for about an hour before heading out. The fire was smothered right before they left. Kali had slept for maybe five hours. She followed the tracks and signs of motion until the three came into view. They had found another river and were deciding on how to get across. The canopy separated over this waterway so that option was out. Sasuke threw a stick into the water and it rushed away with the current.

Instead of getting across here, they traveled down the bank until they found a tree already fallen. They walked across and continued. Kali followed them most of the day until about noon. Now she was hungry, and forsook her company for food. It wasn't hard to find a deer in the deep woods, it was figuring out if it was real or not. Most traps are set around food here, and it was dangerous to just attack. Kali smelled the air and knew it was a trap, but a real deer. The musty scent of deer was unmistakable and so was the odor of men when they're sweaty. In no time Kali had located the man, shot him, and butchered the deer. Making a small fire, she cooked the meat of the deer and ate it. It was succulent and satisfied her greatly.

Naruto plopped to the ground with a moan. He gripped his stomach as it growled loudly.

"I'm so hungry…!" He said in a whine. Sasuke and Sakura turned to look at him. Sakura spoke first.

"Naruto's got a point," she said, "We haven't eaten since we got here."

"What are we supposed to eat?" Sasuke said, "There are probably hundreds of things in here that are poisonous." The others agreed, but it was inevitable- they had to eat something. Kali returned to the three and saw them foraging the bushes. They did happen to find some berries, but the scent screamed death. Kali felt bad, but couldn't help.

As Sasuke pushed aside a branch and snake hissed angrily. Sasuke jumped back as it jumped at him. It wasn't an ordinary snake, though. Its body was a normal greenish brown, but its head was armored and his eyes glowed red. The snake bared its metal fangs and hissed loudly. Naruto heard this and turned around just in time to see Sasuke impale the snakes head with a shurukin. The snake fell with sparks flying from the gash.

Kali smiled. These snakes were one of her favorite critters. They were bioengineered by a man many years ago who has since died. They aren't much of a threat alone, but when there is more than one, you may have a problem. She hoped there was only one here especially now.

Naruto and Sakura stared at the snake, and all three gasped when three more slithered from the bush. Sasuke jumped back and tossed three more shurukin, but the snakes dodged. Their mouths opened and a rain of needles shot out. The three ninja jumped back and Kali felt a lump grow in her throat. Again Sasuke threw shurukin along with Sakura's and Naruto's. That time they hit and the snakes fell down sparking. There was silence for a minute before Sasuke's knees hit the ground. Sakura gasped.

"Are you ok?" she asked. But Sasuke didn't reply. His face was pale and his eyes were glazed as he fell forward unconscious. "Sasuke!" Kali was stunned. Hadn't he dodged all the needles? As Sakura rolled Sasuke over she saw a needle protruding from his upper right leg. Kali felt like falling off of her branch and slapping him. _What the heck was he thinking!!_ She yelled to herself. She gripped her face and steamed. Sakura removed the needle and Naruto glared at the bushes with kunai drawn.

Kali remembered what had happened to the new guy that tried to eat one of those. It shot a needle into his neck. He died three days later. At first he was doubled over in extreme agony, but it soon faded. By the third day, he was a cold corpse. She looked back at Sasuke as Naruto ran for water with a cloth in his hand. Kali sighed; now she HAD to reveal herself. She felt many emotions at once: agony, fear, shock, and anger. She quickly calmed herself. First she would see what they do. Naruto knew that very advanced technique so maybe… just maybe.

The nigh fell with terrible pain on Sasuke's part. Kali felt his pain as he yelled in agony. Sakura was doing all she could and had set Naruto on watch duty. Kali's hopes were dashed. He probably learned that move by chance. She swallowed hard. Making friends wasn't one of her strong suits either. She jumped down and Naruto jumped to his feet. She felt awkward seeing him in person and not running him through with an arrow.

"Don't worry," she spoke for the first time Naruto didn't change much. Kali sighed again, "I'm here to help Sasuke." Naruto looked at her in surprise.

"You're what?" he asked in shock. Kali walked up and Naruto held up his Kunai. Kali swiftly grabbed his wrist and twisted it until he dropped the weapon. "AH! LET GO!!" He yelled. Kali slapped him.

"I'm not in the mood to negotiate and neither is your friend, ok." Kali said, "I'm an ally. If I wasn't, you and your ninja group would have been dead many days ago." She released Naruto's arm and walked past him to see Sakura in the defense position. Kali blinked. She was faster than she appeared.

"What do you want?" Sakura asked. Kali sighed again.

"Oh, come on…" she composed herself and began, "Sasuke was poisoned, correct? In about…four days he will be dead." This got Sakura's attention.

"What can YOU do?"

"I need to be alone with Sasuke."

"And how do I know you won't just kill him yourself?" Sakura asked firmly. Kali thought for a second before removing her quiver and bow and handing them to Sakura. She forced out a smile.

"I'm here to help. Keep these until I return." Sakura took them, but didn't seem to consent. "Look, I can't do this while you're here. Please…" Sakura stepped to Naruto's side. "Thank you," Kali said she walked over to Sasuke. He was sleeping lightly but the pain was still evident in his heavy breathing. She bent down to his side and shook his shoulder. "Hey, Sasuke." He woke only slightly. "My name is Kali and I need you to stay with me for just a minute."

"Who are you?" he asked weakly. Kali rolled her eyes. Why did they have to ask so many questions? Was it that hard to just say "okay"?

"Just let me help and I'll tell you later." Sasuke agreed and Kali began. She removed her pack and removed a large tarp. In an instant she had set up a tent-like structure. Now Sakura definitely couldn't see. Kali removed her blade and straddle Sasuke's body. She smiled at Sasuke's surprise, but returned to her seriousness quickly. She grabbed his right arm and quickly slit his wrist. She then slit her own left wrist with the same blade. The small amount of pain made her flinch slightly. She smeared the fresh blood from her wrist to her palm and did the same to Sasuke.

"Follow my lead," Kali said. When she looked at Sasuke he was fading. "Don't you dare," she shot. He shook his head and his eyes were wider. She took his left hand with her right and forced his hand into a symbol. When she did their hands radiated a rich red. In a second it was over, and Sasuke opened his eyes that he had shut from the light, and the pain was gone. Kali smiled in success.

"Feeling better?" she said as she got off of him. He sat up, and Kali took his right arm. It was still bleeding so she took some bandages out of her pack.

"What did you do?" He asked as Kali bandaged the cut.

"Transfer Jutsu," Kali replied flatly, "I did it only because I had to."

"Answer my question that I asked before: who are you?"

"My name is Kali, as I said, and I've been following you since you got here." She said as she helped him to his feet. He swayed a little, but he was fine. She led him outside to his waiting friends. "No mention of this to Sakura, got it?" she whispered to Sasuke. He nodded. The other two were excited and curious of what Kali had done. She explained the whole deal except for the procedure for the transfer jutsu.

"Oh, by the way, Sasuke," Kali looked at him with a grin. "Could I have my arrow back?" Sasuke was surprised as his mind made the connection to the battle of before. He handed her the arrow and she placed it in her quiver that lay by her side. They were very grateful for her help and welcome her to stay.

As they slept, Kali thought of what to do next. Should she disappear into the night, or stay and help? With all the mess she was in, it was a dangerous situation. Without her help, though, they were done for. Maybe she could help quickly and not get attached. It was settled in her mind then. She would escort them now. Unhidden this time.


	3. Chapter 3

Ok, didn't give much of an intro on the first two chapters so I suppose I'll do it now. I don't own Naruto. I really have no titles for these chapters since I wrote the entire story before deciding to post it. I don't plan to title them any time soon so all the complainers can get over it. I will get more creative with the chapters though so be warned. Hope you like my story and please comment!

By the time the sun peaked through the trees they were on the move. Kali had awakened them early, to the disappointment of Naruto. As they walked, Kali answered questions like "When did you find us?", "Are those ears real?", and her favorite "Why?" Most of them were from Naruto and Sakura. Sasuke seemed to be the silent one.

When they reached a clearing, Kali stopped in the middle. Her ears cocked back and her eyes became hard. Sasuke stopped beside her and looked at her. Naruto didn't seem to know Kali had stopped and ran into Kali's back. Kali's anger soared and she spun around ready to maul him. Instead, she pulled her bow off of her shoulder and whacked him over the head. Naruto gripped his head and yelled.

"Ow!!" he said loudly, "What was that for!?"

"Watch where you're going!" Kali said strongly. "I don't need you messing me up." She stood straight up, but continued looking at Naruto. "Sasuke…" she whispered lightly. "We're being watched." Sasuke began to arm himself, but Kali turned around and stared at him, shaking her head only slightly. He stopped. Kali looked around with her eyes, counting the breaths and scents in her mind. There were a lot of people and if Kali was to protect the group, they needed to fight. "I need you close when I shoot. Act fast," was all she said before slowly reaching for and arrow. When she gripped it she shouted, "Now!" Sasuke leaned on her back and she fired and struck her mark. Many men leaped from the trees and some ran from the ground. Sakura and Naruto were shocked and fought to defend themselves. Sasuke deflected hundreds of shurukin as Kali continued her rapid-fire.

After only an instant, all the attackers lay dead on the ground. Kali walked around and removed the arrows she had fired and stole some of the men's weapons.

"Who were they?" Sasuke asked as he looked at the men, trying to count them. Kali shrugged to herself.

"Didn't really matter, did it?" She replied, "Probably just a group of pirates that came for the challenge or something." When she was finished, Kali returned to the group, but stopped midway. Sasuke thought there were more people and got on alert. Kali wavered and fell unconscious. Sasuke ran and caught her.

"Sasuke, she's hit!" Naruto said in shock. Sasuke saw it now; Kali had been hit in the side by a stray shurukin. It didn't take long for Kali to return to consciousness and sit up.

"Are you ok?" Sasuke asked. Kali nodded, but didn't speak for a minute. She stood with Sasuke's help and continued on the path. The group followed with worry on their faces. She reached a river and stopped again. Her ears perked and her eyes widened. In front of them crouched a large muscular panther; its fur was smooth and black and his eyes were and icy blue. His paws were large and heavy and his tail was long and swaying from side to side. It lapped the water from the river lazily before looking up at Kali.

"What is that?" Naruto asked as he walked up. Kali jumped at his words and slapped her hand over his mouth.

"One thing you don't need to do much- talk." Kali said before turning back the panther. It had stood by now and rumbled what seemed like a purr. It stepped away with heavy silence. Kali's eyes narrowed as she turned from the river.

"We'll set up camp here," she said flatly. Sasuke and Sakura blinked.

"Right after we saw that?" Sakura asked. Kali didn't respond. She just mumbled to herself. After the tent was erected, Kali sat by the small fire and sharpened one of the stolen arrows. She was fully absorbed in her thoughts, and when Sasuke spoke she jumped.

"Are you ok?" he asked. Kali stared at him for a second.

"Yeah." She said. Sasuke could tell she was lying through her fangs.

"Yeah, right." He said as he sat, "What was with that panther?" Kali looked back to her work.

"It's something small. Don't worry about it," she replied. And that was the end of the conversation. During the night the ninja slept soundly. Sasuke suddenly woke and looked around. Kali was gone from her spot. He stood and stepped outside looking for her. At first all he heard were the crickets chirping, but he soon heard the faint voice of Kali. She was talking quietly, but forcefully. Sasuke caught the words that were being said as he stood silently in the dark with a few beams of moonlight striking him.

"What are you doing here?" Kali was whispering.

"Let's see…lone wolf Kali, who hates other people ESCPECIALLY ninjas, joins three ninja and begins to protect them. Did I miss Hell freezing over or something?" Kali was silent. "What's going on Kal?" he asked with worry.

"I need to do this, Oji," she said even quieter than before. "Anything going on with you?" she asked.

"Just watchin out for you; don't change the subject." Oji replied flatly. "Now"- he stopped. Sasuke's heart jumped as a deep rumble broke up the conversation. Sasuke knew something had either smelt him or heard him. "What is it, pal?" Oji asked.

"Look, it's probably just the ninja's scent," Kali comforted. "We'll talk more later, k?"

"Sure, I may show up tomorrow." Oji said.

"Do you have to?"

"No, but I want to," With that Oji jumped away, and Kali sighed. Sasuke snuck back to the tent and lay down. When Kali came in she knew nothing about Sasuke being awake. She sat in her place and stared at him with tired eyes.

"What now…?" She whispered, "This is going to be more of an investment than I thought." She then drifted off to peaceful sleep.

Kali woke to see Sasuke was awake and gone, but Sakura and Naruto slept hard, with Naruto snoring loudly. She stood and stretched with a yawn. She went outside and looked around. Where could Sasuke have gone? She didn't have to look long before finding him by the river. He was observing the footprints of the large panther. He must have been thinking hard, because Kali wasn't trying to sneak, but he didn't seem to see her. There was only a slight impression from the large paw of the cat, but it could still be seen.

"Who were you talking to?" Sasuke asked as he stood and looked at her. Kali looked at his eyes for the longest time before sighing.

"He's my brother," Kali said, "You'll meet him soon." She walked back to Naruto and decided to have some fun. She took her bow and touched his leg and traces an S shape up to his knee. "Naruto get that snake off of you!" Naruto's eyes shot open and he jumped up with a shout. Kali laughed lightly and watched with joyous eyes as Naruto patted himself down.

"GET IT OFF!!! GET IT OFF!!!!!!" He yelled.

"It's off now, Naruto. Don't give yourself a hernia," Kali said. Naruto calmed down and she woke Sakura. They packed up and traveled for about an hour. Naruto seemed furious Kali had scared him. He fumed for most of the morning. Kali led the group to a rugged terrain for over half an hour, before the first complaints began.

"Why couldn't we just go around all of this?" Sakura asked as she stumbled on the large stones. Kali stopped and turned around with Sasuke not far behind. Naruto was in third with Sakura last. Kali stared with little emotion.

"If you would like to feel the wrath of the gatorans be my guest," she said flatly. All three ninja looked at her nervously.

"What are Gatorans?" Naruto asked nervously. Kali plopped down into an Indian-style posture and closed her eyes.

"Gatorans- beasts of the alligator species," she said, "They resemble a dragon and alligator in appearance and character. They're viscous, man-eating creatures and don't stop until their prey is dead or eaten. They work in groups which makes them even more difficult to escape from." The group shivered at the thought of being caught in the gatorans jaws. Kali pointed down the steep side of the stones where a thick fog rolled like heavy water and the trees were dead.

"That's where the largest gatorans live-almost fifteen feet at the most."

"How do you know how long they are?" Sasuke asked. Kali stood and looked the direction they were heading; her tail swished before she answered.

"I've been everywhere in these woods, Sasuke," she said. Sakura no longer complained and Naruto seemed to be stumbling even more because of his fear that a gatoran may slither out of the pit-like area. The sky suddenly darkened and the rain began to fall. "Be careful, guys," Kali said over the rain, "The rocks are probably going to get even worse because of this rain." Now Sasuke even began to struggle over the slippery stones. Kali was still moving when Naruto let out a yell of fear. The rocks made a horrible sounding avalanche as Naruto plummeted with them down the slope.

"Naruto!!" Sakura yelled. Kali jumped down the hill swiftly.

"Grab something, Naruto!" she barked. Naruto gripped for anything, but the rocks continued to pull him down. Soon he hit the ground with a thud and crumbling of pebbles. Kali stopped high up and yelled down to him. "Don't move, Naruto!! Don't even make a sound!!" He did as he was told and laid there silent, half buried in boulders. The pain of his bruises and cuts pulsed through his body. Only slight whimpers of pain could be heard. "You two stay up here," Kali said to Sasuke and Sakura, then turned to Naruto, "I'm coming to get you, but you have to stay quiet!" Kali started her way down carefully.

Naruto was trying his best not to adjust from his terribly uncomfortable position when Kali finally made it down. Without a word, she began to pull the large stones off of Naruto's body. Sasuke and Sakura watched from above; they could barely see their friends in the thick fog. Kali stopped moving boulders and smelled the air. She bent down quickly getting extremely close to Naruto's face.

"Just nod for an answer," she whispered silently, "do you feel like you are cut?" Naruto began to sweat from the pain as he nodded. Kali clenched her teeth as she stood again. Just then, a rumbled rolled from the shadows. Kali's tail fluffed slowly and the hairs on her neck stood up. Naruto gasped and almost struggled if Kali hadn't placed her finger over his mouth. There was nothing she could do but hope for a miracle. They had been found because of the scent of Naruto's blood, and since he was injured it would be difficult to escape.

Sasuke and Sakura heard the rumble of the gatoran and tensed. Sasuke watched Kali carefully for any signs of her needing help. Sure enough Kali stared straight at him. He read her look and drew his kunai as the rain stopped.

"Sakura," he said, "get ready to go down there."

"What!?" she replied, "Kali said to stay"- Sasuke looked at her with his Sharingan and she stopped. Drawing her Kunai, she waited for Sasuke to start. Kali moved a large boulder off of Naruto then drew an arrow across her bow as a huge lizard emerged from the woods. Naruto looked up to see it drooling angrily.

"Naruto get out of here!" Naruto struggled up and ran. The gatoran's eyes dilated and it charged. Kali shot her arrow and it stuck in the gators nose. She followed Naruto placing her hand on his back. The gatoran was unaffected by the arrow and gripped Kali's leg. She screamed and Sasuke shot down the hill. Sakura followed but she was slower.

"I've got ya, Kali!" Naruto said as he grabbed her arm.

"Get out of here!" She yelled. Sasuke jabbed his kunai into the nose along side the arrow. The creature finally released, but now more gatoran had arrived and bit at the ninja. A rock flew out from under Naruto's foot and he slid under the gatoran.

"AAAAAAAHHHH!!!!" was all they heard.

"Naruto, no!" Kali screamed. She and Sasuke jumped in the drove of gatoran and tried to remove him. The lizards had already snagged the fresh prey and were biting at him as they dragged him to the river. He yelled and called in pain as the blade-like teeth tore through his pants and skin causing blood to pour. With all of his might he swung his kunai around rarely hitting any vital parts. Kali jabbed her blade into the eyes of a gatoran.

"Sakura!" she yelled, "get to the edge of the river and stop the alpha male from reaching the water! Do whatever it takes!" Sakura nodded and jumped off. Killing the leader was the only way to stop the stampede. "Sasuke, kill the leading gatoran!" Sasuke jabbed one more of the attacking lizards before jumping to the front of the herd. When Kali looked down she noticed tears flowing down Naruto's face as he stared at her helplessly.

"Please, don't let me die!" he whimpered. Kali's heart wrenched as she tried franticly to free him. Now the gatoran realized what she was doing and attacked her as well. She defended herself, but lost balance. Falling to the ground she shoved her blade into the stomach of three gatoran before heading back to the surface. Kali felt a rush of cooled air on her face; the river was close. This river was the only icy water in the whole forest, and falling in for more then two minutes was deadly. She fought her way back to Naruto.

Sasuke jumped on the back of a ten-foot gatoran and plunged his kunai into its forehead. The lizard fell down dead and his brothers flooded over him. Sasuke tried to jump, but a gatoran gripped his foot and pulled him down. With a swift jab the gatoran felt Sasuke's blade and died. It fell right on top of him and Sasuke gasped. This one was at least eight feet long and was pure muscled. It pushed the air out of Sasuke's chest. Sasuke pushed with all of his power to free himself. When he did the other gatorans rumbled over him. He covered his heads from the claws than reined down upon him as the creatures passed.

Sakura stood by the shore of the river and trembled. It was cold here and the fear was getting to her. The darkness filled the area which made it even harder to see. Soon the lead gatoran came into view. He was a deep red and had pink scars across his muzzle. His eyes glared with rage at Sakura. She threw three shurukin at him and they wedged into its nose. The male roared in pain, but continued his march.

Kali gripped Naruto's arm now and tugged him up. "Grab my shoulders!" she ordered. Naruto did and Kali cut the gatoran off of his leg. The pack was infuriated and lunged at Kali. She swept up Naruto and jumped forward, but all she landed on was angrier gatoran. They shoved her to the ground and tore Naruto from her.

"Stay strong, Naruto!" she yelled as he got pulled away from her. She also was being attacked as she killed gatoran after gatoran.

Sakura was only feet from the large gator when it charged and swung its massive head. The muzzle struck her and threw her to the side. It slowly entered the frigid water with the many others following. She sat up and watched in horror. Sasuke reached an open area and stood up.

"Kali!" he yelled. "They reached the water!" he wasn't far from the shore and heard the splashing of the gatorans. Kali emerged from the crowd and ran past Sasuke, shoving him to the side.

"Stay here!!" she yelled, "Naruto, stay out of the water!" she ran to the edge just in time to see Naruto submerge. She stepped back, dove in. Sasuke realized what she had done and rushed to the bank.

"Kali!" he called. The gatoran took turns submerging and blood stained the flowing water. There was a moment of silence as the water calmed. Some gatoran crawled from the water on the other side and disappeared. Kali suddenly broke the surface and gasped for air. "Kali!" Sasuke waded out into the water and grabbed her freezing body. When he got to land, he wrapped his arms around her and put his chin on her head. She shivered uncontrollably in his arms as she spoke.

"I-I couldn't…get him," she said shakily between shivers, "He g-got rushed away…by the current. He was still alive…though." Her tail wrapped around her and her ears folded back. "So c-cold…"

"Hang in there, Kali," Sasuke said then turned to Sakura. She stood with her hand over her heart. "Go down river and see if you can find Naruto, quickly!" Sakura nodded and ran off.

Sasuke turned back to Kali. She was still shivering, but she had stopped trying to talk. Sasuke looked around to find something dry to warm her up. The only thing dry was his shirt and she needed it more than he did. He let her go for a second and removed his shirt, slipping it over Kali and holding her again.

"Come on, Kali, hang in there," he repeated calmly. Her condition seemed to improve, but not by much.

"We don't have to w-worry about the gatoran," she forced out, "I killed Osama…" Sasuke figured Osama was the alpha male gatoran, but didn't want Kali to talk more than she needed to. Kali looked up at Sasuke and smiled. "Th-thank you…Sasuke…" her eyes closed and her head rested on his chest.

"Kali, stay with me!" Sasuke said as he rubbed her arm to warm her. She was still alive, but had passed out. Sasuke was worried. He couldn't do anything else than what he was doing now; what if it wasn't enough?

Sakura followed the rapid water for a while before spotting places Naruto could have grabbed. Suddenly she heard Naruto's tired voice.

"Sakura, help!" he said. Sakura spotted him hanging onto a branch that hung above the middle of river. His arms were bloody and it was hard for him to keep his grip. Sakura found where the branch connected to the tree and broke it. Naruto's head dunked under the water for a second before Sakura pulled him in onto his knees. He also shook uncontrollably and chattered.

"Naruto, we need to get you back to Sasuke and Kali," Sakura said as she helped him up. The cold water dripped from him and onto Sakura. She couldn't believe Kali had just jumped into it like she had. When the two got back, Sasuke had moved further from the river. He sat with Kali still held fast in his arms. She had stopped most of her shivering and shook every once and a while in her sleep. Naruto removed his wet jumpsuit and wore his swim trunks. Sakura started a small fire and hung Naruto's cloths next to it. Naruto huddled next to the flame desperately as Sakura bandaged up his terrible wounds. They had been washed by the river, but they were still bad.

"So how are we going to get out of here?" Naruto asked.

"Probably the same way we got in," Sasuke replied, "Kali said she had killed the lead gatoran, Osama."

"But we got dragged all the way to this river. Which way is back?" Sasuke was silent. Sakura had an idea.

"Naruto," she said, "could you lend Kali your cloths?" Naruto looked at her confused. "I mean, you don't need the jumpsuit, but she does." Naruto agreed for now. The suggestion sparked a question in Sasuke's head. Why was it taking Kali so much longer to recover? She wasn't as injured and she had gotten out of the water faster.

"Naruto, how did you get out of the gatoran's area?" he asked studying Naruto seriously.

"Huh?" Naruto looked at Sasuke, "When I went in the water I got pulled away by the current. They didn't chase me so I grabbed the branch and waited. Why?" Sasuke looked back at Kali as Sakura covered her with Naruto's jumpsuit and returned Sasuke's shirt to him.

"She got out of the water way before you did, and she doesn't seem to be getting better," Sasuke explained.

"That's right," Sakura agreed, "she's still unconscious." Sasuke laid Kali onto the ground and stood.

"I'm going to find someone," he said. Sakura looked at him.

"Who?"

"A friend." With that, Sasuke jumped away. He was going to find Kali's brother Oji. He was the only one Sasuke was even slightly sure he could trust. When he reached the high, rocky hill the sun emerged from the clouds. He had no idea where to find Oji, but assuming he was following them it wouldn't be too hard. He retraced the group's steps and stopped in the middle of a clearing area.

"Oji!" he called. It was silent for a minute.

"Well, well," a calm, familiar voice said, "If it isn't little Sasuke." Sasuke spun around and saw Oji lying on a high branch. He was concentrating on wrapping a pole with string as he spoke. His hair was orange and his eyes the familiar gold of Kali's eyes. His outfit was a black suit with belts and latches that seemed to serve no real purpose. On his back were three long swords and one medium-sized one on his hip. He also had two cat ears on his head and a long Cheetah-like tail.

"Kali needs your help," Sasuke said, ignoring the "little" compliment. Oji sat up and hung his legs over the side.

"Kali needs me? Are we talking about the same girl or did some other girl come into the picture?" his sarcasm began to get annoying. He jumped down and walked up. His large cat emerged from the bushes to follow him.

"I'm not here to fight. I"-

"I know, you have no idea what's going on, and you need some help from me." Oji glared at Sasuke. "I'm going to tell you straight up- I don't think Kali has made the right choices, and you have been most of the problem." Oji stepped closer. Sasuke began to feel attacked.

"Hey, I'm here to help her!" Sasuke replied. That was Oji's last straw.

"You!? Help her!? You're the one who gave Kali her death seal!" He shot forward and gripped Sasuke's shirt.

"What!?"

"Have you already forgotten your first incident? Kali saved your life and sacrificed her own!" Oji threw Sasuke to the ground. Sasuke tried to catch himself but he hit the ground anyway. "Luckily Kali is a strong girl and could survive this poison."

"But why would she be affected now? It's been almost four days."

"Yes, that is true. Her fall into the river must have had an effect on her." Sasuke stood.

"How did you know she fell into the river?" Oji smiled at his own skills.

"Your shirt," he pointed to it, "it smells like Kali and ice water. If you had fallen in, you wouldn't be here- Kali would be." Sasuke was impressed.

"So are you going to help or not?" he said roughly. Oji thought.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt. I planned to help anyway… Alright, but there is one thing I'll need you to do." He turned to his panther. "Akkan, come." The panther came and lifted his head. In his mouth was a small bottle with a deep red liquid inside. Oji took it. "This is the medicine Kali needs to take. She will probably be awake, but I'm sure she will have slight amnesia." Sasuke was surprised.

"How do you know all of this?" he asked. Oji looked at him plainly.

"It isn't the first time…" He shoved the bottle into Sasuke's hands. "Look, just be careful; cornering an injured wolf can be dangerous." Oji smiled, "Enjoy the woods and keep aware." He then jumped away swiftly and Akkan trotted away.

Kali opened her eyes slowly and sat up. Naruto and Sakura were talking by the fire. Their backs were turned so they didn't notice. Kali looked at Naruto's suit on her and pushed it off. She had completely forgotten what she was doing here and who the people were. The first thing that came to her mind was she had been captured. Instinctive fear flooded over her.

Sasuke walked to the campsite cautiously. Sakura was excited to see him return, and Naruto stood and turned to see if Kali was awake. He got his answer when an arrow flew quickly soared past his head. He fell backwards.

"What was that for!!??" Naruto yelled. Sasuke jumped in surprised and looked at Kali. Her eyes were wide and fearful. She had already drawn another arrow across the bowstring.

"Kali, wait!" Sasuke said. Her aim swung to him and he showed her his hands. "Calm down, we're your friends." He said calmly. Her ears went back and she looked desperately.

"I don't…" she whispered. Sasuke stepped closer wit his hands out so she didn't think he was attacking. She shook slightly and tensed.

"You can remember, just think." Her eyes suddenly gleamed.

"Sasuke!" she said sadly, "I'm sorry!" Her bow dropped and she jumped into his arms. He bent down and held her for a second. When everything had settled and Naruto and Sakura had fallen asleep, Sasuke handed her the bottle Oji had given him.

"Oji gave this to me for you," he said. Kali took it.

"Oji actually gave it to you?" she replied as she pulled the top off.

"He didn't want to, but he did." Kali swallowed the medicine and stared at the bottle.

"Sasuke…" Kali started, "thank you… I haven't had anyone care about me like this in a long time." Sasuke looked at her. She looked so fragile all of the sudden like she was in a new place. He smiled at her when she looked at him. She then lay down and slept.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning found them back on the rocky hill. They reached the end of the difficult terrain by the time the sun peaked over the trees. The rest of the walk was extremely easy compared to the rocky hills.

"We've passed most of the difficult terrain, but we'll be going into the dangerous stuff now," Kali said as they walked, "The trees thin out and we will be more available for attack." She stopped at the tree line and looked out at what they would go through.

The scenery seemed so beautiful. The golden grasses flowed fluently in the wind like the waves of a golden sea. The wind was warm and inviting to most, but the history of this beautiful field was enough for Kali to almost completely ignore the glory of it. Sakura looked out at the field and gasped.

"Look how beautiful!" she said while observing the view. Kali looked down and smiled.

"Yes, it was," Kali said. Sakura blinked and looked at her.

"Was? What do you mean?" Kali stepped to the side so Naruto and Sasuke, who stood behind her, could see.

"Look closely. What do you truly see?" They looked for a while before Sasuke spoke.

"This is a graveyard…" he said with disgust hinting his voice. Kali nodded silently. Under the pure golden grass lay thousands of bones, cloths, and some fresh bodies. Weapons also lay scattered in the field. Sakura gasped as she noticed the multitude of corpses. Naruto looked with eyes wide.

"Who killed all of these people?" he asked. Kali looked at the field.

"That question is one no one can fully answer," she replied. "Sometimes gangs come here to battle for territory or members, other times people are just dragged here after their death, but most of the time…" her voice trailed off and she shook her head.

"What?" Naruto pushed curiously.

"We'd better get moving," Kali said briskly, "We're very vulnerable here." She walked straight into the field with the others following. There was a clear path through the plain that seemed to be cleared. The wind was soft and the clouds flew by. They gradually shrank from the rain of before. Close to the center of the large field the grasses got up to the shoulders then over the head. Suddenly, Kali heard the rustle of moving grass. Her ears twisted and turned to find the source of the noise. It was coming from all around them! The ninja now caught the noise and looked around. With the grass so high there was nothing to see. Kali stopped and turned quickly to the others.

"Any volunteers?" she asked.

"…For what?" Naruto asked after a pause of thought. Kali reached back to him and grabbed his arm to pull him to her.

"I'm glad you're so eager to help," Kali said with a slight smile. She spun Naruto around so that she was behind him. "I need a boost." With that she jumped onto Naruto's shoulder. Naruto lunged forward with the dramatic weight increase.

"Hey!"

"Sshh!" Kali bent down to whisper, and then sat up again. Her head peeked over the grass barrier and she saw to the edge of the plain. The valley may look flat but it was a huge valley- the grass just grew even. They had just reached the center; the worst spot to be attacked and to attack. It was sort of a double edge sword. As Kali scanned the edge she saw a small grey figure on the horizon. She quickly leaned back and pulled Naruto to the ground. They hit with a thud and Kali released Naruto's neck from her legs. He sat up angrily.

"If I would have known what you wanted I wouldn't have said anything!" he shot. Kali barely heard him. She sat cross-legged on the ground with her head in her hands mumbling.

"Dang it…Why now……stupid idiotic…" Her voice trailed off and came back until she looked up at the expectant ninja. She stood and sighed. "You'll have to excuse me for a minute," she said then turned around and waited. Soon, a long clear howl flowed over the field. It was the sound of a calling wolf. Kali was silent then continued walking. "We need to get out of here," she said. As they continued the noises did as well, but Kali no longer treated the situation like it was dangerous.

"What's going on?" Sasuke finally asked. Kali stopped.

"This place is just not fit for you guys," was her short answer. They got close to the other side and the sounds moved close fast. Kali jumped back to behind Naruto and pushed him forward. "Don't lag." She whispered. The sounds stayed in the closer position. Now Sasuke was very nervous.

He was about to turn around when a large black wolf emerged in front of him. The wolves deep golden eyes stared with little emotion as Sasuke drew his kunai defensively. Sakura gasped, and Kali heard her. When she saw the wolf, Kali spoke swiftly.

"Don't!" she said from Naruto's side. Sasuke looked back just in time to see six more wolves surround Naruto, Sakura and Kali. Kali's face showed serious concentration. Three of the wolves were a dark grey with light stomach fur, one was solid white, and the other two were brown mixes. Only two wolves growled- a grey and a brown. Naruto also drew his weapon and Sakura held back a scream. Kali jumped into a defensive stance.

"Wait!" Kali said again. I need to speak to Moliko!" Kali said strongly. The wolves fell silent and the large black wolf perked his ears. It approached Sasuke and snarled. Sasuke was frozen. "Sasuke…come here." Kali said softly. Sasuke slowly moved over to her and the two wolves in his way moved to let him and Moliko through. As Sasuke stood by Naruto and Sakura, Kali bent to her knees and bowed her head. "I'm sorry I had to." The wolf growled and Kali closed her eyes. She understood him like he was speaking human tongue.

"You know what we said," he said in his growl voice.

"I know," she looked at him. "I am bringing these people to the shore." The wolves looked at the ninja with curious eyes, but none approached. Moliko looked at the ninja in his usual silent way. Naruto appeared extremely nervous and Moliko caught his fear instantly and walked to him. Naruto didn't take well to this at all and took a step back. Kali looked worried. She knew Moliko could jump on Naruto any minute now and that would cause Sasuke and Sakura to jump and then they would surely die. She stared fully at Sasuke as he glanced at her. He saw her signal him to get down. Being tall signaled to Moliko he wasn't the leader. Sasuke grabbed Sakura's arm and relayed the message. They bent down to their knees and Sakura grabbed Naruto's pant leg. He didn't notice until she pulled hard and he fell to the ground. Moliko's chest rumbled deeply with a growl as he turned back to Kali.

"Why should you help them," he rumbled in wolf tongue.

"I wish to make myself stronger," Kali replied as she looked at Sasuke. Moliko sniffed Kali gently and pushed her head up with his muzzle to make her look him in the eyes.

"You are still a human pup, Kali. You may escort these humans to the shore, but remember; you will not become strong until you have the heart to do what is best." Kali looked straight into his eyes as she stood.

"Thank you, Moliko," she said as she bowed. Kali turned back to the ninja. They sat clueless to what the wolf was saying, but they heard Kali just fine. She helped them up and walked out of the circle. As the ninja followed, a grey wolf stepped out to follow behind them. Naruto looked at it nervously.

"Um, Kali, one is following us," he said as he sped up. Kali smiled but didn't even look back.

"Wind Song is going to make sure we leave the territory safely," she said.

"'Wind Song'?" Sasuke said in a curious tone. Kali slowed her step to walk beside him.

"That's her name," Kali replied, "It means her voice is beautiful."

"How do you know the wolf's name?"

"Because I named her when she was born," Sasuke blinked before she continued, "If you hadn't noticed yet, I can understand the wolf language." She looked at Sasuke. "It's a gift of mine." Wind Song trotted silently behind the group not a foot from Naruto's heels. When the group reached the edge of the field, Wind Song stopped and whined lightly. Kali understood the goodbye. When Sakura looked back the edge of the path was empty. The wolves were nowhere to be seen. Kali stopped when the field was out of sight and looked up. Oji laughed lightly from his perch. Kali turned around.

"This is my brother and friend Oji," she introduced then turned to Oji, "Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke." She said as she pointed to each in succession. Oji stared at Sasuke with a smirk.

"We've met before…" he said silently. Akkan trotted out of the bushes below.

"How long were you waiting?" Kali asked Oji as he jumped to the ground.

"Oh, not long. Just long enough for a cat nap." Kali smiled. Sasuke stared at the large panther that walked up to him. It stared for a while until Kali patted his head.

"Now, Akkan," she said. "He's a friend." Naruto was left in confusion. He just got out of a pack of wolves and now a huge panther stood in front of him. To add to that, he hated cats. Akkan changed his attitude and rubbed Sasuke's leg while purring loudly. Kali chuckled at Sasuke's confused face. The weight of Akkan almost pushed him over. Akkan then stepped to Naruto.

"I don't think so," Naruto said nervously as he stepped back.

"If you three ninja will excuse us," Oji said, "Kal and I have to speak alone." Kali saw Sasuke's face of distrust.

"Don't worry, Sasuke, if he was an enemy we'd be fighting already," Kali assured. The two siblings walked away and out of sight. Akkan did not follow, though. He just got up close to Naruto and purred. When Kali and Oji felt they were out far enough they faced each other.

"Kali, what's your plan?" Oji asked in confusion. "You're at a crossroads now."

"I know," Kali said reluctantly.

"Well?"

"I'm still thinking about it."

"You only have about an hours walk now until you reach the place," Oji motioned in a direction.

"I want them to all make it. Losing one isn't an option," Kali said, trying to explain her thinking.

"So you're going to sacrifice yourself!? Kali that's stupid!"

"Is it? You think I can't handle myself? I can recover and make it back to them in a max of three days!"

"Kali…" Oji sighed. "You've gotten attached to them haven't you?"

"...I"-

"I've never seen you befriend ninja so quickly. Are you finally improving?" Oji asked in surprise. Kali thought for a second and her mind fell on Sasuke. She smiled.

"I don't know. Maybe."

"Well, even so, I want you to be safe."

"So?"

"So I'm coming with you."

"You are?" Kali didn't know what to think. Oji was her brother and, ever since she came here, they had mostly been apart. She shrugged off the feelings and closed her eyes. "If you say so, but I'm the leader this time." Oji nodded.

"Ok." They went back to the group. Sasuke was curious about the conversation, but Kali didn't say, so he didn't ask. She took a few steps in front of the group. "We're heading into some serious territory here and Oji will join us." No one had any objections so they started off.

Kali walked with an eerie silence about her. Sasuke observed her intuitively. Her feet landed silently on the ground; she seemed to be a ghost that flew through the woods. She turned her head fluently from one side to the other. Every once in a while Sasuke could catch a glimpse of her golden eyes. He realized how he watched for her eyes and looked away to keep from turning red.

Oji walked behind Sakura who was at the back of the group. He also noticed Kali's silence and Sasuke's actions. He then looked at Naruto. Naruto's hands were on the back of his head and his elbows were high in the air. Oji was tempted to play a prank on the unsuspecting soul, but resisted due to the seriousness of the moment. Oji's eyes then fell on Sakura; she showed signs of weariness.

The group maneuvered through the forest until the underbrush became thick. Kali stood and stared thoughtfully at the thorny bushes. Oji walked up beside her.

"You know we can't walk anymore." Oji stated. Kali tightened her fist.

"I know but…" Kali mumbled.

"But nothing, Kal."

"Ok!" She spun around to face the ninja. "Keep an eye out for traps; we're going to jump the rest of the way." She led the team as they shot into the air. They jumped for a while before something happened. A needle shot out of nowhere right in front of Kali. She yelled in slight surprise, jerked backwards and lost her balance. As she fell, Oji leapt toward her and gripped her outstretched hand. He was holding the branch with his other hand. The three ninja drew kunai and looked around as Oji lifted his sister back up to the branch. Kali brushed herself down and stared into the mass of trees.

"Where did that come from!?" Naruto asked worriedly. Oji had already retrieved the needle and identified it.

"We knew this was coming…" he told Kali.

"You knew?" Sasuke asked. Before they could answer, another needle shot by Kali. She dodged and it only scraped her arm. She quickly drew and fired an arrow at the spot, but missed. Oji drew his short blade as motion was heard.

"We'd better get to the ground," Kali said before jumping to the ground. The others followed. Now two men emerged from the forest. They were muscled men and had many weapons on their bodies. They said nothing; they just attacked viciously. Kali put her arrows away and drew her blade like Oji's. She jumped angrily and met them halfway. They weren't expecting this and one was caught off guard. Oji was surprised as well.

"Stay back, you three," Oji said to the ninja before jumping high into the air and down on the second man. Naruto didn't enjoy sitting back. He started to attack but Akkan jumped in his way with a violent snarl. Naruto stopped in his tracks. The panther glared with an odd seriousness.

Kali leapt and sliced quickly at the man she had chosen as Oji did the same. Oji soon had hit his target enough; the man retreated a ways and blew a strange whistle. As Kali continued to fight, more men arrived. Oji realized they needed the ninja's help and signaled to Akkan and the ninja. Akkan ran up with an evil snarl and tackled a man. The ninja jumped as well and fought for a while. Kali seemed to fight with new anger. She hated going slow through this place, and these men only meant what she had always feared. Suddenly, A man turned from Sakura and tossed a strange Net over Kali. Kali screamed as it handicapped her and she fell to the ground. The guy she was fighting snatched the net and began to retreat.

"Kali, no!" Oji bolted to her and sliced the man. The guy was dead in a matter of seconds and Kali had removed herself from the net as soon as he hit the ground. Sasuke fought, but watched as well; he was surprised how quickly Kali and Oji moved. It was like they were ninjas as well. Kali was about to attack when a pain surged over her. Her eyes widened and she hit her knees, putting one hand on the ground. Oji stepped in front of her and looked directly at Sasuke.

"We need to protect Kali!" he said. Sasuke jumped to his side and put his back to Kali. The others freed themselves from battle and did the same. Naruto was already breathing hard and Sakura was cut on the arm. They couldn't fight like this forever, and with all the men on the other side it made it hard.

"Kali," Oji comforted, "Take deep breaths and relax." Sasuke peeked back at Kali. She was on the ground gripping her wrist. He just noticed the bandage around it. Her breaths were rapid at first but they soon calmed.

"I'm ok, Oji," she said as she looked up. She saw Akkan still fighting he was a very large cat and the men were startled by his skills. Kali stood, wavered, but remained standing.

"Why do they want Kali?" Sasuke asked. Kali gripped her bandaged wrist and clenched her teeth again.

"She has something they want," Oji answered, "Let's finish this." He charged off and sliced an unsuspecting man. He fell down dead from Oji's attack. Kali drew her arrows and picked five men off.

"This won't take long now." Kali said with an unusual grin. Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke couldn't do anything, but watch as Oji weaved between Kali's arrows as they finished off the remaining men. When all were dead, Akkan collapsed. Oji stepped over to him and put his hand on the cat's shoulder.

"He needs some bandages, but he's done well. Good boy, Akkan." Oji said. Naruto couldn't handle being out of the loop.

"What's going on!?" Naruto yelled. Kali and Oji looked at him, and Kali sighed.

"You don't have to say it, Kal," he said.

"I know, but if they have to go through this place…they need to know." Kali said. Oji sighed lightly and looked down at Akkan and began to treat him. Kali turned to the three ninja and began to unravel the bandage on her wrist. "The first time I got here, fate wasn't kind to me. I ran into all the wrong people and was used for a curse." She held up her wrist. On it was a symbol in black. There was a bracket facing her elbow with a small diamond above it; under the bracket was a straight line with a curve on each side of it. They all gasped. "It's called The Curse of the Wolf's Howl, and I got it here, in this area of the jungle. Now every time I come here they trigger or try to trigger the curse."

"So, those people were after you because of that?" Sakura asked. Kali nodded and rewrapped her wrist.

"So why did we come here if it's so bad?" Sasuke asked. Kali looked at him with gleaming eyes.

"I'd rather me get hurt than you three. The other choice could have sacrificed one of you." Naruto gulped. Kali walked away and retrieved her many bloody arrows. Without rinsing them like she favors, she placed them back in the quiver. Oji walked up with his hands in his pockets to the ninja while Kali was away.

"You have no idea how lucky you three are," he said casually.

"And why's that?" Sasuke asked. He knew they were lucky to meet Kali, but he wanted to make sure that was what Oji meant. Oji patted Akkan on the head when he walked up.

"Kali hasn't trusted any ninja since, well, she was about six," Oji said.

"And why not?" Sakura asked curiously. Oji shrugged off the question.

"Her own reasons," He said. Kali turned to them.

"Let's get going. It's almost dark, and I don't want to spend a night here." Kali said. They jumped off again and traveled in silence. Soon, the sky turned the familiar sunset red. They reached a river and Kali stopped. Naruto stopped and hit the ground.

"I'm so hungry!" He groaned. Oji looked at him.

"He has a point," Sasuke added, "We haven't eaten since this morning."

"Oh, yeah," Oji said calmly, "I forgot."

"Forgot!?" Naruto said in surprise, "How can you forget to eat!?"

"Our metabolism is slower than normal;" Kali said flatly, "We only need one big meal and a small snack to go all day.

"That would be very helpful, but we still need food," Sakura said. Kali drew and arrow and placed it over the string pointing it downward.

"I don't think so, Kal," Oji said as he grabbed her bow. She looked at him in disappointment.

"But"- she started.

"You need to stay with them. Akkan will stay with you and I'll go get something." Kali felt contained. She didn't like contained.

"I'm a hunter!" she said. Oji didn't change his expression. Kali was about to speak again when she read Oji's calm eyes and sighed. Her ears went back and she gripped her wrist, submitting to his authority. "Ok…" As Oji left, Kali gathered some sticks for a fire. She didn't ask for any help; she just worked silently. Sasuke watched until she finally stopped and sat by the pile of wood. He joined her. She unwrapped her wrist and looked at the mark. It was very prominent and Sasuke could tell it was hurting her.

"Why did you want to come this way?" he finally asked.

"I guess… I guess I needed to face this sooner or later," she replied and looked up at him. "You just gave me the kick I needed." Sasuke let a small smile creep out before looking at the large panther across the pile of sticks. At first, Akkan stood uncomfortably, but he soon adjusted and seemed more relaxed as he let himself settle onto the ground with a plop. Sakura sat on her legs near to Akkan without noticing the large cat watching her.

Akkan's gleaming blue eyes scanned Sakura before rising only inches off of the ground and slinking toward her. Sakura spotted him after a moment and started to move. Akkan gave a comforting purr-like noise and cocked his ears forward to show he wasn't angry. Sakura felt uneasy, but stayed put, groaning uncomfortably. Kali saw this and smiled; Akkan had taken a liking to Sakura. He got to her side and lay back down with his soft-furred side touching her leg. He put his head near her hand and sniffed it gently. Sakura let him sniff and then rubbed his nose. He closed his eyes in pleasure as she petted rhythmically. Sakura smiled as Akkan rested his head on her lap.

Kali observed the whole situation and couldn't help but be pleased. At least Akkan was trying to befriend someone. She felt her anger lift slightly, and her mind return to normal. For a few minutes the deadly forest seemed almost comfortably calm. The sun was gleaming straight through the trees making the whole place light up softly. The breeze was slowly dying the farther the sun set. Sasuke felt the stress in the air lift as the silence stretched on.

Oji soon returned and Kali started the fire. Things began to move forward again. Oji had successfully killed three rabbits and they were cooked and eaten in an instant. Akkan devoured his own personal rabbit raw. As he licked his large paw in pleasure, Oji stroke his head.

"We'd better get some rest," Kali said while poking the flames. They settled down in their respective places to sleep Kali slept against a tree in between two large roots. Oji jumped into the tree and slept on a branch. As the three ninja lay down, Akkan approached and lay close to Sakura. He sniffed her, purred deeply, and rested his head on his paws. Sakura was taken by surprise by this sudden friendship, but didn't object. As the moon slowly rose, the forest fell deathly silent and still.


	5. Chapter 5

_Kali ran as fast as she could. The leaves sounded out as she dashed through the woods. Fear was upon her face and her breaths were quick. Behind her rumbling on in the forested darkness came a ferocious beast. Its frame seemed like a dragons, but tar-like ooze covered its body and flowed continuously. It was large and cumbersome. It roared and revealed its large blade teeth, spurting some of the tar from its jaws. It stopped for an instant to do this then continued to chase. Its gleaming reddish orange eyes were filled with inbred rage. _

_It continued to chase Kali. Its black claws digging deep into the ground to gain speed. Kali suddenly tripped. Hitting the ground and rolling over, she found the beast on top of her. The jaws fell toward her face with tar-ooze dripping. Kali screamed_.

Sasuke woke with a start. He was breathing hard and felt the icy sweat on his face. He let his eyes adjust to the dark, and then looked around cautiously. He could still feel himself trembling from the nightmare. The dark figures of Sakura and Naruto lay on the ground with Akkan while Kali's and Oji's were in their places. Sasuke sighed to try and calm himself. Just a dream. He stood and walked silently over to Kali. She slept silently and peacefully. Her face was calm. Her ear twitched automatically as she slept.

Sasuke was going to go back to his bed, but sleep would not come due to the dream. Just a dream. He decided to take a walk. The moonlight was quite bright and it was not difficult to walk silently. He came to a small area of still water. It wasn't quite a pond but it was too deep for a puddle. He looked at the reflection of the moon and his own as well. Just a dream. He knew if he was gone when Kali woke up she would most likely be worried. He turned around and jumped when he saw Oji standing behind him. His eyes were dilated, but there was no emotion in them. Sasuke calmed his racing heart as Oji spoke.

"You sure are up late," Oji said.

"I could say the same to you," Sasuke said.

"I only woke cuz of you, little Sasuke," Oji said, "Is everything well?" Sasuke looked back to the water.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Sasuke said. Oji shrugged to himself.

"Ok, if you say so," Oji turned around and walked back to the camp. His tail was swishing from side to side easily. Sasuke breathed in the crisp night air and followed a ways behind. The sun rose the next day on an awake Sasuke. He slept a little after a little bit but the nightmare returned and he couldn't force himself into the sleep.

The sun made the sky change from the dark black to purple to light blue. Sasuke couldn't help but watch as the sun rose. It soon shone through the bases of the trees and the birds began to wake. First the crows woke then the others and soon birds of all kinds twittered and sang, greeting the sun. Sasuke glanced over to Kali as she slept. She was lying on her side and snuggled into a ball. She seemed to have no interest in waking early like she normally did. Oji swung upside down on his branch before letting go to land on the ground. He stretched and yawned. Sasuke glanced at Naruto and Sakura; he noticed the large panther sleeping near Sakura. Oji leaned over Kali and touched her shoulder gently.

"Hey, Kal, C'mon," he said with a kind tone. Sasuke stood up and watched. Kali tensed sleepily and groaned lightly. Nothing appeared wrong at first, but Sasuke knew something was off. Kali was usually the first one up and ready, but today…

Oji stood and walked over to the two sleeping ninja. He kicked Naruto lightly on the side and Naruto sat up after mumbling his disagreement. Akkan flicked his ears and opened his eyes. They gleamed their icy blue as he put his whiskers on Sakura's face. She woke at once and sat up with a yawn. Kali sat up and rubbed her eyes. She seemed ok at first glance, but there were soft rings under her eyes as if she hadn't slept well. Her attitude told Sasuke she was trying to ignore this. He disregarded these unusual facts as Oji organized the group. Naruto seemed to sleep while he stood which impressed Sakura.

"Alright, now that we're all awake," Oji began. Kali stood next to him and looked down at Akkan as Oji spoke. "We will be heading out today and will be travel fairly quickly. Keep up or get lost, and please don't linger anywhere for more then three minutes." Everyone agreed. "Good." He stared at Naruto who seemed to be dozing again. He smiled down at Akkan and Kali saw and grinned as well. Oji tapped the panthers shoulder and Akkan looked at Naruto. He trotted up and jumped playfully between Sasuke and Sakura on Naruto. Naruto, suddenly struck from his dreamy state, yelled in terror. Kali watched with a grin that almost resembled a smirk of sorts. She just noticed now Naruto's raspy almost gritty voice. She knew why it had just become apparent, and it sickened her. It was the terrible curse that heightened her already sharp senses. Akkan removed himself from the angry Naruto and the boy sat up.

"Alright I'm awake!" He yelled angrily. Oji smiled as he spoke, but let it fade when he was finished.

"That'll teach you, Blondie," Oji said with tease in his voice, giving Naruto his famed nicknames. He had always been fond of giving names for short, and it only proved he accepted the ninja in his own way.

They set off quickly jumping silently. Kali disgusted this place. The scents suffocated her and only angered her more. The wafting scent of the poison-red flowers sprinkle over the forest floor, the biting scent of the thorned green plants, and the light and gloomy scent of new and old death. The sounds also had an aggravating effect on her which she could not explain. She found herself having to slow down to stay with the group, but she found no need to do so. She had different plans.

Oji glanced to her and she returned the look. He knew what she was going to do, and it was time now. When Sasuke looked to the direction of Kali, but saw empty branches. He looked for a while, but Kali was no where to be found.

"Where did Kali go?" He asked Oji. Oji was silent as if he hadn't heard, but soon he stopped. He was looking down solemnly.

"She'll be traveling on a separate path, little Sasuke…" he said grimly. Naruto and Sakura stopped and looked worried. His voice continued to where even Sasuke had a hard time hearing him "she has her own war to wage now…" he whispered. They stood in silence for a minute then Oji realized what he was doing. "We've stayed still too long!" he jumped off and the ninja followed. Naruto wondered why Kali had left and wondered if she was nearby or had really taken off. Sasuke had the same thought; he was worried about that curse she had spoken of.

After about three hours of travel Oji stopped. The he and the ninja had been traveling at a good pace that Oji usually kept up all the way across the forest, but the ninja were not cut out for the speed for so long. They were exhausted. Naruto and Sasuke fell down to sit and Sakura hit her knees. They breathed heavily. Oji looked around sternly. He had no strain or any sign of fatigue for that matter. Akkan walked up and looked up at Oji expectantly. He hadn't expected to stop like this since they usually didn't have to. Naruto's breaths were very heavy. Oji reached into his back pouch and tossed him a container of water. Naruto caught it and drank thankfully.

"Anyone else need anything?" Oji asked.

"More time to rest…" Sakura panted. Oji paused.

"Sorry, no more than three minutes," he repeated his instructions.

"But that's ridiculous!" Naruto said in displeasure. Oji only looked at him blankly. He wasn't one to take sympathy.

"Get over it," Oji said, "Unless you want to be splattered across this nightmarish forest, I suggest you get off of you lazy butt and move." Anger tinted his voice as he ended his sentence. Naruto jumped to his feet in fear. Oji was surprisingly harsh, but for good reason. They waited only a little longer before heading off again. This time the speed was decreased slightly, but to the tired ninja it was the same. As Sasuke jumped he looked down and saw Akkan's black shadow moving silently. He was quick for being on the thickly covered ground and surprisingly silent. Sasuke watched the cat weave through the brush; his muscles moved smoothly and cleanly with amazing precision. It was obvious Akkan had done this all his life and needed little to no assistance.

About four hours later when the day was at its hottest Oji finally stopped again. They all panted feverishly. They had no idea the woods were so large. It made Sasuke wonder what part of the forest Kali stayed in and how large it was, since she had said she never truly came here on her own accord.

"While we're resting," Sakura started, "How big is this place?" Oji, still showing no signs of fatigue, sat in front of her and began to draw in the sand as he spoke.

"Well, I don't know if Kali told you or if you can tell, but this place is a place all its own," Oji explained. Naruto and Sasuke were glad Sakura asked that question so they can rest more. Oji drew a rough circle then an inner circle that followed the rough edges of the first. "This entire forest," Oji continued, "Is on a large island." Sakura gasped.

"We're on an island!?" she repeated is surprise. Naruto and Sasuke were also surprised. Oji forced a smile.

"I guess she didn't tell you then. No matter, now you know. We are about here"- he scratched an X on the map slightly off into the left of the center. They weren't extremely close to shore, but at least they weren't in the middle. "The land makes a gradual increase in altitude the closer you get to the center. In the center is a huge tree." He etched in a tree-like crown. "If you climb to the top you can see the shore right on the horizon." Oji smiled as he thought of the place that he spoke of. He wasn't saying for the ninja, but it brought back fond memories of the past. He quickly rubbed out the sketch with his hand and stood. "We've stayed too long," he said in his harsh tone of before. It reminded Naruto of a sensei of the academy. They all got ready to move.

"Hold on," Sasuke said, "before we move- where's Kali?" Oji looked back at him.

"Right now she's probably not far. Why, Little Sasuke?" Oji replied, "Are you worried about her?" Sasuke thought over his answer carefully.

"She's just been gone a while," he finally said. Oji sighed.

"Well, if you want to know she's fine I'll call her." Oji pulled out a small whistle that had been carved in the shape of a howling wolves head and painted black. Sakura thought it looked like that wolf they had seen named Moliko. Oji put his mouth to blow on it, but before he did a voice sounded.

"You don't need that just yet," Kali said. Her voice was calm, collected and almost fragile. She sat above the group with her knees pulled up to her chest and her arms around them. She seemed half asleep, the circles under her eyes were slightly darker than before and her face seemed an off color. Oji's hand with the whistle dropped as he smiled up at her weakly.

"You look good, Kal," He said in a comforting fashion. Kali's eyes closed and she smiled behind her knees.

"Thank you, Oji," she said softly. She dropped her knees and looked at Sasuke with a smile.

"We were worried about you so I thought I'd let you drop in," Oji explained. Kali only widened he smile.

"I'm fine, Sasuke," she said. Sasuke got chills from the softness and eerie calm of her voice.

"Why did you want to travel separate?" he asked.

"My curse could endanger you so until I recover I'll stay a safe distance. I won't disappear; I'll just come back when I can think straight," Kali answered. Her eyes suddenly dilated and her tail flicked. An ear-piercing screech echoed through the forest that made Kali and Oji jump in fright. The others covered their ears to try and block out the noise. When Sasuke looked up Kali was gone.

"We have to move now!" Oji yelled above the screeching, "I told you we couldn't stay long!" They jumped off immediately and traveled faster in fear of whatever had sounded out in the woods. After a few minutes the sound abruptly stopped and all was silent again. Oji stopped and breathed heavy. Since he had not been showing signs of weariness, Sakura guessed it was the fear.

"Did Kali follow us?" Naruto asked looking around. Oji shook his head as he composed himself.

"No," he said, "Now you know why I said no more than three minutes." He jumped away again, and the ninja all traveled in grim silence. Night fell soon and Kali returned. She was alive and well, but seemed oddly disturbed. She kept silent as Oji instructed everyone on what to do. Soon, a thriving fire had started and leftover food was cooked. Kali chose not to eat; she just sat and stared absent-mindedly at the flames.

"Kali?" Sasuke asked worriedly. She snapped out of her dream and looked at him. He looked for some words to say. "How long will this go on?" he finally questioned.

"Well…" Kali thought, "I'm not sure, but hopefully I can get through the first stages of it and Oji can handle me for the rest." Sasuke didn't quite understand, but Kali's face told him not to ask any further. After the fire had died away, they all settle down to sleep. It went on peacefully until about midnight.


	6. Chapter 6

Kali sat over Sasuke silently. Her eyes glowed a bright yellow, and they were wide open. Sasuke slept silently in front of her. She trembled uncontrollably before pulling a kunai out of her belt and holding it threateningly above Sasuke. She turned her head and gritted her teeth. She could hardly stop herself. Naruto woke for no reason and sat up. He saw Kali's dark form and the glimmer of the blade.

"Sasuke, watch out!!" he yelled loudly. Sakura and Sasuke sat up in surprise. Kali's wide eyes darted from Naruto back to Sasuke. She yelled a high scream and sliced at Sasuke. He crawled quickly backwards and dodged barely. Kali was about to jump at him when Oji landed on the ground between Kali and Sasuke with sword drawn.

"Back off, Kali!" Oji said forcefully. Kali wasn't surprised. She continued her assault only with Oji as her target. He swung his sword backwards and struck her on the face. She fell back and darted away on all fours. She stopped on the edge of the woods and looked back. Her glowing eyes were all that could be seen. Kali stared straight at Sasuke with little emotion. Sasuke was speechless at what had happened. Oji sighed as Kali disappeared. "The curse has gotten to powerful for her already." He picked up the kunai and placed it in his belt. He looked at Sasuke sadly. Sakura was at his side.

"Are you ok, Sasuke?" she asked. Sasuke nodded.

"She really will hate herself when she comes to…" Oji said.

"Why did she attack me?" Sasuke asked as he stood.

"She has the bloodlust of the Dark Beast," Oji replied formally. "She didn't want to actually kill you; she… she just needed blood." Oji seemed to fumble with the words. He shook his head and ran his hand through his hair. "Ok…" He was trying to gather his thoughts when Sasuke spoke.

"We have to help her," he said. Oji blinked as he stared at him with a surprised face.

"I don't think"-

"Sasuke's right, she needs us!" Naruto added.

"Look!" Oji glared at Naruto. "She said to me, and I quote, 'get them out of here safely, I don't want them getting involved in my problems.' She wants you three safe, and that's what I'm going to do."

"She's our friend now and we don't just let friends go through stuff like this," Sasuke said. Oji looked at him. His golden eyes pierced deeply. His emotion was just surprise. He stared for a minute before he closed his mind to all other thoughts. He looked down to cover his face.

"We need to get moving now," he said before walking off. Sasuke gritted his teeth and followed. Akkan approached Sakura and rubbed on her leg with a sympathizing purr. She patted his head and followed Naruto. Sasuke couldn't understand Oji's reasoning for not helping Kali. He wished Kali was here. Oji didn't jump quickly today like he had before. They just walked silently. It seemed Oji was thinking too hard to move quickly. They traveled in silence for most of the morning. Oji suddenly stopped and looked back at the ninja. Sasuke expected something rude or criticizing to come.

"Why are you here?" he asked unexpectedly. The ninja blinked.

"Um, you're escorting us through the woods," Sakura answered confusedly. Oji shook his head.

"No, I mean why are you in these woods? Having to be escorted by Kal? I guess Kali never thought to ask."

"Well," Sakura thought back. It had been at least a week since they got here, but it only seemed like yesterday. "We were kidnapped by some men outside of our village."

"Yeah, it was all Naruto's fault." Sasuke added spitefully.

"Hey!" Naruto said angrily.

"It's true, Naruto," Sakura continued. "You are the one who dared Sasuke to go outside the village gate at midnight."

"Well, maybe he shouldn't have accepted!" Naruto retorted.

"Ok, ok, hold on," Oji interrupted, "one person tell the story." The ninja looked at each other and Sasuke spoke.

"That night Naruto and I got into a fight and he dared me to go outside the village boundaries to prove I wasn't scared. I said I would if he did as well, and he would take the blame if we got caught…

_The door in the gate creaked open slowly and Sasuke walked through. _

"_C'mon scaredy-cat," he said. Naruto was pushed through the door by Sakura. He was obviously scared. His face was even slightly blue. They walked a ways down the path before Sakura spoke._

"_Ok, I think we've gone far enough, guys," she said, "I think we should go back."_

"_Oh, no! not until Sasuke is scared!!" Naruto yelled. Sasuke sighed._

"_This is ridiculous," he said, "I'm not scared. It's just night time like any other night only not in the village. Naruto your such an"- Sasuke stopped and looked behind him. Naruto was worried by this action._

"_Wh-what is it, Sasuke?" Naruto asked nervously. Sasuke was solemn as he turned back around, keeping his eyes looking to the side._

"_We should go back, I think someone's out there," Sasuke said quietly. Naruto thought quickly._

"_Ah-ha! So you are scared!" He said proudly. Sasuke looked at him._

"_No, I think we're in danger!" He said in a loud whisper._

"_I think we should listen to Sasuke, Naruto," Sakura added worriedly._

"_No, Sasuke has to admit he's scared!" Naruto crossed his arms defiantly. _

"_Ah! Naruto you're such a loser! We need to go"- he was interrupted again by someone laughing. They all fell silent. In the dim light of the three-quarter moon a black figure of a man stood between them and the village gate. _

"_These are perfect candidates. Don't you think?" the man said. Another man spoke behind the group._

"_Yes, they're perfect," he said. They approached slowly and Sasuke drew his kunai. Before the ninja could even think, five men appeared and threw nets. Sasuke swung his blade, but it was too late. They were over come in seconds and out cold. When they woke up they were surrounded by trees and bushes in the Forest of Madness._

"Well, that explains a bit," Oji said as Sasuke finished the story. He was scratching behind his cat ears thoughtfully.

"Do you know who did this?" Sakura asked. Oji made eye contact with her and he reminded her of someone she should remember.

"Yeah," he said, "They are the gatherers. Ones whose job it is to gather insane people and unsuspecting victims to bring here."

"But why?" Sakura asked. Oji shrugged as he turned back around.

"I guess the crazies are getting restless. They usually just put criminals and crazies, but the owner of this place is changing it up for some reason." He turned back around and the group continued walking. "Well, I'm glad I finally asked. You may have gotten off the island without us knowing. Of course I think Kal already knew; she's good like that." Oji spoke like he was thinking out loud. He suddenly stopped and groaned in anguish. The ninja walked forward so they could see, but soon wondered if they had even wanted to.

The trees and grass was red with blood. Bodies, or what was left of bodies, were strewn across the section of woods and the gore was unbelievable. Sasuke took a step back in shock, Naruto couldn't breath for fear he would hurl, and Sakura gagged and put her hand over her mouth. Oji stared sternly; no one had to ask, he knew the question.

"This is…this is what happens…" He struggled as he looked away. "When you pick a fight with her now." astonishment fell on everyone.

"Kali did this!?" Sasuke forced out.

"Yeah, like I had said before, the curse is too strong for her and she has an insatiable bloodlust." Oji rubbed his nose. "Man, that scent is strong. If you three don't smell it you're aliens." He walked to his right while still rubbing his nose.

"You're just going to walk off?" Sasuke asked. Oji looked back.

"Why wouldn't I?" Sasuke couldn't answer that question. Oji turned back around and walked off followed by Akkan, Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura. Sasuke was fuming by the time noon rolled around. Oji seemed to be thinking hard when he stopped. They had been walking steady without rest, and the break was appreciated. Akkan had separated a time ago and now returned with a deer in his mouth. He set it down in front of Oji and lay on his stomach. Oji stared for a little at Akkan's eyes before he took out his blade.

"Sakura," He said, "I need you to go get some water from the river for us to drink. I'm out." He reached into his back pouch and pulled out a buckskin water container and tossed it to Sakura. "You may want to take Akkan with you." Oji added. Sakura stood, nodded and walked away. Akkan followed obediently. Sakura felt as though she should have said something, but she couldn't find the words. When the two reached the river, Akkan lapped up his fill of the cool water. Sakura plunged the container into the water and the bubbles gurgled from the opening. She was letting it fill up and glanced around the surroundings.

The sun danced on the running water and the shadows of the branches swayed on the ground. The grass faded as it approached the shore of the river and moss replaced it and dotted the rocks. Some pink flowers speckled the grass and a lone butterfly fluttered from one to the other. Sakura pulled the container out of the water and looked back at Akkan. He was intently staring at the bushes on the other side of the river. He stepped closer to the bank and gave a low moan of warning. Something rustled in the foliage and retreated. After a moment of sitting in silence, Sakura sighed in relief, patted Akkan's head and led the way back to the camp.

Oji had skinned the deer very quickly and now sat watching the meat cook over a new flame. He looked very thoughtful as he sat, and Sakura almost hated to disturb him as he did so. Oji changed her mind as she walked up by looking up at her. She handed him the water and he took it.

"Thank you," he said. Nothing more was spoken until the food had been eaten. Oji sighed and leaned back. Akkan walked behind Oji and laid down so Oji could lean on him.

"So what now?" Naruto asked after a while. Oji opened one eye with a mischievous twinkle in it.

"What do you think is next, Blondie?" Oji said. Naruto blinked.

"Um…I…" Naruto tried to think of something. Oji sat up and stretched.

"We are heading off again," he said. He rubbed Akkan's side before standing. "Well, let's go." They all stood and followed Oji obediently. They all had the same terrible feeling about what they were doing, but it seemed Oji knew more than he was letting on. As the day went on, Sasuke grew angrier and angrier with the way Oji was handling the situation. He was growing a plan and he needed to act soon.

The sun sank slowly into the horizon on three tired ninja. They had stopped walking and Oji had made them jump the rest of the way. The sky was striped with pink and purple clouds and the sky was a light orange. Oji stared up at the changing colors as he waited for the ninja to catch up to him. He had darted ahead to escaped the company. Sasuke and Naruto arrived with Sakura slightly behind. Naruto was breathing so heavy Oji was waiting for him to pass out.

"When…are we going to stop?" He panted. Oji turned to him and answered.

"Right now would be good, but we'll need to set up a temporary tent area in the trees," he said while looking around for good items to use to build with.

"Why are we sleeping in the trees?" Sakura asked.

"The ground isn't safe," was all Oji said. He pulled out a brown tarp from his pouch on his hip and told Naruto to grab an end. They set it up fairly easily and Oji got Sakura to help secure shrub-like branches on the outside. When this campsite was done, Akkan appeared with a bag in his mouth. He used his powerful muscles and sharp claws to climb the tree and deliver his find. It had no meat, but fruit and berries from the local flora.

"No meat?" Naruto complained. Oji chuckled.

"Well, we were lucky to get meat for so long. This was obviously someone else's so Akkan has had his fill." Akkan seemed to purr happily. They had a small fire to see by for a while, but they couldn't keep it burning for long because they were in a tree. They decided to go to sleep early that night and all fell silent quickly.

After about an hour, Sasuke opened his eyes with Sharingan. He was wide awake and listened hard for the slow breathing of sleep. When he was positive all were asleep, he maneuvered past everyone and slipped quickly down the tree. Akkan lay at the bottom still and silent. Sasuke took extra care not to wake the sleeping cat. As soon as he was clear he focused on the task at hand. He was going to find Kali and help her himself, since Oji seemed none too eager to help.


	7. Chapter 7

Kali trotted along through the woods on all fours silently and skillfully. The sun was still not set and she wanted to get far away. Something in her mind told her someone was going to look for her. She ran straight into a deep shrubbery. It had a space of about four feet from the ground before the thick began. This effect made a great, house-like shelter that stretched far through the forest. It was mostly dirt underneath which made it cool and agreeable to Kali's now disagreeable nature. She sat and wrapped her tail around her leg; she felt weary but not enough to sleep. Instead, she just sat like a pleased dog and closed her eyes. All was peaceful until Kali heard a voice she didn't recognize.

"Well, well, what a pretty pup you are!" it said. The voice was gruff and had an old witty hint to it. Kali located it right in front of her as the short man popped down like a monkey from a tree. He smiled with mouth closed, but it was so wide his wrinkled face closed his eyes. Kali looked at him with one eye and noticed he couldn't be more than three foot tall. She put her ears back and her head low.

"Stay back, old man," she snarled deeply. The man chuckled and pulled back up into the branches. Kali perked her ears at his sudden disappearance. He came back down behind her and spoke again.

"Would you like a meal, pup?" he asked. Kali's heart jumped and she spun around. With all fours on the ground Kali growled with her fangs bared. Her tail whipped from side to side angrily.

"If you don't leave me alone, you will be the next meal!" she said before jumping at him. The man quickly popped back up into his thick retreat. Kali looked up for him, but all that was there was a hole. He came back down not far away.

"Now, now, I was trying to be hospitable, Pup," he said still having his warm grandpa smile. "Is something troubling you?" Kali took a long breath and lay on her back, looking up at the empty branches above her. She seemed to be suddenly non-violent. She was so tired; fighting the little man wasn't tempting enough.

"I have never hated life more than now…" Kali said with a sigh, "These feelings humans feel are almost too much to take. It makes me sick…" She looked back at the man. He had his arms crossed and was nodding.

"You are still young, Pup, you are just learning what true feelings are," he said, "These emotions are some of the strongest of anyone's life; the new experiences, new fears, new loves…they all are fresh to your soul and your mind isn't quite ready for it all." Kali stared at him blankly.

"You. Have. No. Idea." Kali rolled to her side.

"Just be strong. Bad times always yield to good times." Kali closed her eyes.

"I may kill you in the night, but I'm staying here. If you want to live, I suggest you stay away." The man disappeared after a while into his shrubbery and Kali slept peacefully. _Maybe he's right_, she thought before drifting off to sleep, _this will get better sooner or later…_

Sasuke navigated quickly through the forest looking for any sign of Kali's whereabouts. He tried using his Sharingan, but there was nothing to look for. He was lucky the moon was close to being full so it was easier to see, but seeing wasn't always helpful when you could only see about ten feet in front of you. Sasuke wanted to at least get far enough away from the group so as not to be follow-able. As he jumped through the trees he looked from side to side. Nothing was anything close to what he was looking for. Soon, he came across a large brown structure. He stopped.

It looked like it was made from bamboo and vines were situated on top of it to break up the silhouette. It was rugged and old and obviously not in use. Sasuke walked up to it and realized it was just slightly taller than he was. Walking around it, he found a vine-covered entrance. Inside was dark, but he could make out a table, two chairs and a box on the table. Sasuke was cautious to enter, but the thought of Kali being inside pushed him forward. As he entered he saw another chair in the corner. Thankfully, all were empty. The box on the table was pretty large and halfway open. Sasuke opened it the rest of the way and saw inside a small wooden whistle that looked like a roaring lion. He picked it up and looked it over. Sasuke tucked it in his pocket and left the building

If what he thought was right, this whistle did just the opposite of what his other, wolf-shaped one did. He continued on his way silently.

Oji laid leaning against one branch. He had his eyes open and was looking down at his knees. The first time Sasuke stood up, he had heard. At first he thought about chasing him, but these other two needed him. He looked up at the sleeping Naruto. Sasuke was so determined it would have been impossible to stop him. Oji smiled as he crossed his arms. Sasuke and Kali were so much alike. It felt strange now; Oji had imagined Sasuke's spirit as Kali's and now that both were gone, there was an empty lone feeling about the place. He closed his eyes and frowned. Well, he'd better get some rest, too; in the morning he had an important decision.

The sun rose surprisingly quickly and Oji was plenty awake when Naruto sat up and stretched. Oji watched Naruto look around for a second, blink, then look at Oji with a questioning stare. Oji was silent for a second before he spoke.

"Wake Sakura, Blondie," He said as he stood, "We're going as soon as everyone's up." Naruto was going to say something, but Oji dropped from the tree before he could. Naruto shook Sakura's shoulder.

"Sakura, Sakura," he said, "I think there's a problem." Sakura sat up and blinked, yawned then realized what Naruto said.

"What do you mean, Naruto?" She asked.

"Sasuke's gone and Oji's not saying anything," Naruto said as he glanced back to where Oji had disappeared. Sakura thought for a second before standing.

"Naruto, do you think he went to find Kali?" she whispered.

"Hey!" Oji yelled from below. Naruto and Sakura jumped. "It doesn't take that long to wake up!" The two moved quickly down the tree and stood in front of Oji. Oji stood with his fingers half-run in his hair. He was looking at Akkan thoughtfully.

"Hey, Oji," Sakura started. Oji looked at her. "Where's Sasuke?" Oji blinked then looked to Naruto.

"He went to find Kal on his own," Oji answered. "And now I'm posed with a difficult choice: we can go help or I can drag you two to the shore and get you to safety."

"That's not even a choice!" Naruto yelled, "We have to go help Sasuke and Kali!"

"I know that, Blondie!" Oji snapped. "What, do you think I just want my sister to suffer!?" Naruto was taken back by Oji's sudden anger. Oji calmed. "You aren't the one who's seen her at her worst and her best, at her strongest and weakest." There was a long pause before he said more. "Most likely Sasuke is trying to find her on his own because I wasn't going to let him. We need to retrace our steps and find him. Hopefully he'll be ok, or Kali will kill me." Oji walked back down the way the group had come followed by the others.

"What are we going to do when we find Sasuke?" Sakura asked.

"We'll see when we get there," Was all Oji said.

Sasuke pushed the bushes aside and looked out over the slightly clearer land. Trees still stood, but the bushes and shrubs were thinner. The sun was just rising and the sky had turned a softer blue, but the ground was still thick with shadows. There was little chakra to focus on in empty forest. Even though the trees seemed to be empty, there was a mist of power over everything. Sasuke felt more and more discouraged as time went on. There was no sign of Kali and even if he did find her, judging by what Oji had said, she would probably want to kill him.

"Kali!" Sasuke called. His voice echoed through the woods ominously and only silence followed. He sighed and continued walking. Hopefully Kali could hear him and not Oji.

Kali lay sleeping soundly on her dirt bed. The old man had long since been gone, and she had been able to get a good rest. A small voice echoed to her ears. She sat straight up with wide eyes and her heart skipped a beat. She jerked her head to her left with ears perked. Could that have been who she thought? No, why would he be looking for her, Oji had said he wouldn't let them return… But she would never mistake that voice, especially now that her senses were more than usual. She stood up on all fours and her tail whisked from one side to the other. Should she go, or stay? Her heart was torn so she sat and waited patiently.

Oji walked slowly, following Akkan who was following Sasuke's scent. He would sniff and then walk a while before repeating the cycle. Naruto walked at the end of the line and held his stomach.

"When are we going to eat breakfast?" he asked finally. Oji stopped and looked back at him over his shoulder. The spite in his eyes made Naruto stand straight. He sweated for a second before Oji walked up to him. Naruto was intimidated by Oji's height as the angered warrior stood right in front of him.

"You want to…eat?" Oji said. Naruto gulped.

"Well, I-I…" Naruto stuttered. Sakura looked worried. Oji wanted to say more, but he would probably have decked Naruto between sentences. He turned and walked furiously back to Akkan's side and they continued. Naruto sighed and followed with no more complaints. Sakura also seemed to sigh. She wanted them to find Sasuke as soon as possible without incident. At the pace they were moving it would take a while. Akkan was trying his hardest but he wasn't that good at tracking things that weren't dieing or dead. Oji soon patted Akkan on the head and spoke.

"You did well, Akkan, but we need to get going," he said before standing. He looked one way then the other before setting off at a good pace.

Sasuke felt the cool morning mist on his legs as it slowly dissipated. Despite his fears of Oji hearing him he cupped his hands around his mouth and called out again.

"Kali!!!!" again his voice flowed around and through the trees before falling to silence again. Sasuke jumped when he heard rustling in front of him. It was faint, but noticeable. "Kali...?" Sasuke whispered. Kali stood up staring straight at Sasuke.

"So you came," She said softly. Sasuke felt himself sigh in relief. She ran to him. Sasuke was startled at first when she embraced him, but put his arms around her lightly. "But you wanted to get off of this island, didn't you?"

"I was worried about you. Are you okay?" She stepped back.

"I'm getting by, but that's normal." She looked down with a pause. "Sasuke, why do you care about me?" Her question caught him off guard and he thought for a second.

"Because… I just do." Sasuke struggled. "I don't want you to go through this alone." Kali looked up.

"You mean you want to come with me?" He nodded. She thought hard. "Ok, I guess you won't listen to me about leaving." She smiled wide up at him. "Let's get going then!" She took his hand and they departed.

"So where exactly are we going?" Sasuke asked as they walked.

"There is a large tower a little north of here. That's where the last of the cursers is."

"Who are they?"

"The one's you fused me with this spirit so long ago. It's not much of a curse now that I'm used to it, but their intentions are what tick me off. Most of them have died by now except for one. He's still waiting for me to return and rid him of his life."

"He wants you to kill him?" Kali stopped and looked at him.

"As far as I'm concerned he is. The whole group wanted me to exact revenge on the people who brought them to this island, but I wasn't about to let them control me like that. When there were only four left three killed themselves and the fourth is mine." She continued walking. "They have this…thing that makes me not think straight. I'm not quite sure what it is exactly, but I know this guy knows how to use it well and I've never been able to get to him." Her voice deepened with aggravation and she stopped. "That's why I discouraged you coming." She released his hand gently. "I'm afraid of what I'll do by mistake."

"Don't worry about me, Kali," Sasuke said, stepping beside her. She smiled but didn't look at him.

"Ok, if you say so." The continued silently.

The three ninja stopped at the old building Sasuke had been to earlier. Oji wasted no time in continuing directly toward the building he knew Kali would be going to.

"Wait!" Sakura called out. Oji stopped and looked back. "Can you at least explain what's going on with Kali? Or maybe where we're going!" Oji thought without motion.

"No, I can't," He said bluntly, "Because I myself am not clear on all of the details. Because of what I do know, I have more reason to withhold the facts from you. I can tell you that when we get to where we are going there will be some things going on that we won't be able to control. Kali has to do this and Sasuke has jumped in without thinking. I'm almost afraid of the unstable situation we've found ourselves in." There was a moment of silence before he continued at his pace. He knew this was going to end quickly whether it is a happy or sad ending. He hated to be unprepared like he was but there was little he could do. All that was left to do was get to Kali as soon as possible.

Naruto followed silently. He had barely kept up with what Oji had said and now he felt a little concerned. What if they've jumped into something too deep? Naruto shoved the thought away. Kali and Sasuke needed their help and that what they'd get.


	8. Chapter 8

Sasuke felt the cool morning mist on his legs as it slowly dissipated. Despite his fears of Oji hearing him he cupped his hands around his mouth and called out again.

"Kali!!!!" again his voice flowed around and through the trees before falling to silence again. Sasuke jumped when he heard rustling in front of him. It was faint, but noticeable. "Kali...?" Sasuke whispered. Kali stood up staring straight at Sasuke.

"So you came," She said softly. Sasuke felt himself sigh in relief. She ran to him. Sasuke was startled at first when she embraced him, but put his arms around her lightly. "But you wanted to get off of this island, didn't you?"

"I was worried about you. Are you okay?" She stepped back.

"I'm getting by, but that's normal." She looked down with a pause. "Sasuke, why do you care about me?" Her question caught him off guard and he thought for a second.

"Because… I just do." Sasuke struggled. "I don't want you to go through this alone." Kali looked up.

"You mean you want to come with me?" He nodded. She thought hard. "Ok, I guess you won't listen to me about leaving." She smiled wide up at him. "Let's get going then!" She took his hand and they departed.

"So where exactly are we going?" Sasuke asked as they walked.

"There is a large tower a little north of here. That's where the last of the cursers is."

"Who are they?"

"The one's you fused me with this spirit so long ago. It's not much of a curse now that I'm used to it, but their intentions are what tick me off. Most of them have died by now except for one. He's still waiting for me to return and rid him of his life."

"He wants you to kill him?" Kali stopped and looked at him.

"As far as I'm concerned he is. The whole group wanted me to exact revenge on the people who brought them to this island, but I wasn't about to let them control me like that. When there were only four left three killed themselves and the fourth is mine." She continued walking. "They have this…thing that makes me not think straight. I'm not quite sure what it is exactly, but I know this guy knows how to use it well and I've never been able to get to him." Her voice deepened with aggravation and she stopped. "That's why I discouraged you coming." She released his hand gently. "I'm afraid of what I'll do by mistake."

"Don't worry about me, Kali," Sasuke said, stepping beside her. She smiled but didn't look at him.

"Ok, if you say so." The continued silently.

The three ninja stopped at the old building Sasuke had been to earlier. Oji wasted no time in continuing directly toward the building he knew Kali would be going to.

"Wait!" Sakura called out. Oji stopped and looked back. "Can you at least explain what's going on with Kali? Or maybe where we're going!" Oji thought without motion.

"No, I can't," He said bluntly, "Because I myself am not clear on all of the details. Because of what I do know, I have more reason to withhold the facts from you. I can tell you that when we get to where we are going there will be some things going on that we won't be able to control. Kali has to do this and Sasuke has jumped in without thinking. I'm almost afraid of the unstable situation we've found ourselves in." There was a moment of silence before he continued at his pace. He knew this was going to end quickly whether it is a happy or sad ending. He hated to be unprepared like he was but there was little he could do. All that was left to do was get to Kali as soon as possible.

Naruto followed silently. He had barely kept up with what Oji had said and now he felt a little concerned. What if they've jumped into something too deep? Naruto shoved the thought away. Kali and Sasuke needed their help and that what they'd get.

Kali and Sasuke arrived at the building. The sun was just peeking over the roof of the run down building. Run-down seemed to be an understatement to Sasuke. The walls were filled with so many holes it was surprising they were still standing. Not to mention it must have been standing for ages and was engulfed in a sea of vines.

"Welcome, Sasuke, to my nightmare," Kali said. She was extremely nervous about this but having Sasuke with her helped ease the fear. She drew her kunai and Sasuke did the same. They entered the building cautiously and Kali led the way to the center room. Inside was just as worn down as the outside with vines and rubble everywhere. Sasuke activated his Sharingan and studied everything. There were many doors to other smaller halls and rooms. Sasuke heard something click to his far left and spun around to see what it was. A man stood in a far doorway with a large weapon leaning on his hip. He loaded it and aimed it angrily at Sasuke.

"I don't care who you are, but get out before I"- He started before stopping at the sight of Kali emerging from behind Sasuke.

"Miss me, Kinas...?" Kali growled. The man seemed surprised at first.

"Well, you've changed your brother, little miss. Trying hard to socialize, I see." He smirked, "Well, at least you tried!" He fired his gun and a javelin launched forward. Both Kali and Sasuke jumped out of the way; Sasuke went to the left and Kali jumped toward Kinas. A rope connected the spear to the gun and Kali gripped it and pulled back. Kinas was yanked forward as she ran to him. Kinas couldn't dodge being off balance and Kali punched his face hard. He flew back into the dark room followed by his attacker. Sasuke ran up to see better.

Kinas had broken a table in his fall and had scrambled behind some crates. Kali lunged back behind them but soon reappeared. She was on all fours again and her ears were back. She had her tail down and was shaking all over. Her eyes were shut tight. Kinas approached as she backed up. He laughed.

"You forgot I had this, didn't you!?" He laughed, brandishing a deep blue amulet. Sasuke jumped. That must be what Kali was talking about! "Alright, cursed one, I want you to listen to me, got it?" Kali said nothing. It was obvious she was in pain and fighting the curse. Kinas looked at Sasuke then pointed angrily. "Kill him!! Kill him NOW!!" He yelled. Sasuke gasped lightly before looking at Kali expectantly. She looked up with red eyes and snarled. She stepped in front of Kinas and closer to Sasuke.

"Kali snap out of it!" Sasuke said before dodging Kali when she lunged at him. He took out his kunai and blocked her attacks. He didn't want to fight her; he knew she had no choice.


	9. Chapter 9

Oji, Naruto, and Sakura arrived at the large building not far after Kali and Sasuke. Naruto stared up at the large building; it was really tall. Oji swallowed hard. He hated doing this and was tired of this confusing adventure. He slid one of his swords out and approached.

"When we get in there, there are no rules," He said to the following ninja, "Fight who's attacking you- even if it's Kal."

"Shouldn't we attack the person who is trying to control Kali?" Sakura asked. Oji had told them the reason Kali wanted to come here on the way.

"If you can, but once I get that control devise from him, Kali will deal with him."

Sasuke couldn't escape Kali's wrath. She wasn't letting up, giving him no chance to return the attack. Kali knocked him to the ground swiftly and landed on top of him. She raised her claws to strike.

"Kali!!" Oji yelled as he ran up. Kali looked just soon enough to be hit in the face by Oji's kick. She flew off of Sasuke and slid across the floor. Oji helped Sasuke to his feet. "You idiot, coming alone. You must have a death wish or something." Oji said calmly. Kali let out a long howl before darting again toward the defenders. Oji stood ready with his swords in front of him. "Sasuke, did you see it? That thing he uses?" Sasuke didn't say anything, just nodded, which Oji could not see. Oji understood anyway. "Destroy it." The simple instructions that were anything but easy. Before Sasuke could say anything, Oji was off to meet Kali halfway. Sasuke didn't want to take the order, but he had no choice. He went the long way behind the man who was entranced by the fight between siblings.

Sasuke was about ten feet from the Kinas when his presence was felt and Kinas spun around and chunked shurukin at Sasuke. Sasuke dodged and fired more shurukin at Kinas from above as he fell on him. They tussled for the longest time before Sasuke finally hit Kinas hard enough to send him flying. Kinas didn't stay down long, though, but stood and swung his gun around at Sasuke. Before Sasuke could dodge, a spear was flying at him. His breath caught. Kali's ears perked as she dodged one of Oji's thrusts. She looked up and charged forward. Sasuke only had time to barely move, but he knew it was going to hit him dead in the chest; even if he was to move enough to get it away from the heart the spear would thrust easily through his shoulder. He winced. Kali was upon him now and reached out.

Sasuke opened his eyes after the spear should have penetrated his body. Kali stood near him and held the spear in her hand by her side. there was only a little blood from her stopping the projectile with one hand. Her eyes were closed at first but she then opened them to look at Kinas. They were still red.

"What are you doing!? I told you to kill him not save him!!" Kinas yelled angrily. Kali turned to Sasuke, but was hit by Oji in a full tackle. She screamed angrily and fought furiously. Sasuke heard the clanking of the spear that Kali had dropped. He looked down, grabbed it, and before Kinas could think it was upon him. He fell to his back. The pendant flew into the air and Sasuke ran to catch it. Kinas bled profusely from his injury, but stood anyway. "Give that back, Kid." He said painfully, gripping his impaled arm. Sasuke only held tighter to the pendant. Kinas gritted his teeth angrily. "You don't understand!" Sasuke had no idea how much he did not know. Kali threw Oji off.

"Destroy it!" Oji yelled. Sasuke thought quickly before throwing it to the ground and slammed his foot on it. Smash. Red lightning shot from underneath Sasuke's shoe. Kali screamed as she gripped her head. Sasuke felt his heart jump. Everything went black. There was an echo of two screams fading; Sakura and Kali. Silence. Sasuke felt the darkness like it was water; drowning him. He looked around in search of anything to grip to.

The sound of tearing flesh made all the ninja jump and wonder franticly who was hit. Slowly, the light returned from the window by the moon. Kinas lay dead and Kali sheathed her blade. There was still a minute of deafening silence before Kali spoke.

"Three long years," she whispered, "Three long years I've looked into those eyes, never able to close them. Three years I never set foot on this side of the island." She looked up at Sasuke. For the first time, her eyes were clear and gleaming. Her smile was pure and empty of fear. "Thank you." Naruto approached Sasuke and looked down at what was left of the pendant. All he saw was a black spot surrounded by a faint red powder. Oji sighed deeply.

"Finally," He said lightly. The burden had finally lifted. "Now we can get you three out of here, right?" He walked up and put his hand on Naruto's shoulder with a smile, and for the first time in a while, Kali chuckled optimistically.

The group made it to the shore deep in the night and set up camp. The waves sloshed in the wet sand and the stars above the horizon sparkled brightly. Oji left the group saying he needed to find out about the boat times from their sensei. He set off quickly so he could return before dawn.

"Wait," Naruto said to Kali after Oji had gone, "How can he get there in one night when we traveled almost a week to get here?"

"He travels faster," Kali answered simply as she sparked the fire. Sasuke fed a stick into it.

"So how are we getting off exactly?" Sasuke asked.

"We plan to hijack a boat for you three to get to shore. It's not that hard to steer so it shouldn't be a problem for you. And when the sun is up you can see the sliver of land on the horizon." Sasuke looked surprised.

"Wait, aren't you coming?" Sakura asked, "Since you've killed that guy?" Kali closed her eyes and shook her head, never loosing her small smile.

"No, that's not all I have to do. It was the biggest thing, mind you, but not the only. And besides," she looked into the islands deep woods, "This has been my home for the better part of my growth as a ninja. It's going to be hard to leave." Kali felt cheery and full of vigor. After a minute of looking at the fire, she flicked her head to remove a bang of hair and looked at Sasuke. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" She asked him. They moved away from the fire. When they got a good ways Kali turned and hugged Sasuke around the neck. Sasuke was surprised and stood wide-eyed. "Sasuke. Thank you," Kali said softly. Sasuke returned a light hug.

"For what?" He asked softly and nervously.

"You helped me. I was lost in the darkness for so long and when you came along everything changed." She stood back to look into his eyes. "So, just wanted to say that." Her smile widened. "And this," she pecked him on the cheek and quickly walked back to the fire. Sasuke stood in shock for a moment before looked back to the fire where Kali was massaging Naruto's shoulders. Naruto hung his head forward and complimented on her skill. Sasuke smiled and walked back to the fire.

Oji arrived at the house of the Janoh sensei and knocked on the door.

"Open up, Old Man!" he yelled plainly. Janoh opened the door and smiled up at Oji. Oji was taller than Kali and made Janoh look even smaller.

"What a surprise," Janoh said, "What brings you here, Oji?"

"I need a time schedule for the boats of inmates and feeders," Oji stated. Janoh opened the door wider.

"And why is that?"

"Just give me the schedule, Old Man!" Oji said. Janoh chuckled.

"You have to tell me first, Oji," he replied. Oji fumed for a second before sighing.

"Alright, Kal defeated Kinas and the three ninja we were escorting need a ride. Happy?"

"Yes," the hunched man disappeared into the house with Oji following. The door was built low for the man so Oji had to lean over to get into the house. Janoh retrieved a piece of paper. "This is the most recent of schedules, but if they have changed I am not the fault." He handed it to the waiting Oji.

"Thanks. I guess you do have some good qualities sometimes." Oji turned to leave. "Oh, and I would be expecting Kali sometime soon." With that he left to return to the shore. It was past midnight now and he would have to pick up the pace to make it back for the earliest boat.

Sasuke sat in a tree staring up at the moon calmly. Kali lay her head on his chest as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. They had slipped away when Naruto finally followed Sakura in sleep. The moon was silver and full like a pearl in the sky. The stars were drowned out by its light and all the earth was revealed in its beams.

"You get to see this every night, huh?" Sasuke spoke. He kept his voice down just because of the calm and serene moment.

"Yeah, but none as beautiful as tonight's," Kali answered. There was a space of silence. "Tell me about your home, Sasuke. What is it like?" Sasuke adjusted a little as he thought about her question.

"Well, There's not really anything special about it. It's a crowded place and there are a lot of ninjas."

"Do you have a sensei?"

"Yes, his name is Kakashi Hatake. He's a strange guy, but has a lot of good training advice." They continued talking until the subject changed. "So how did you end up here anyway?" There was a pause. She sat up and took his hand.

"I'll show you," she said before leading him down the tree and through the woods. They came to a large tree with vines beginning to creep up the trunk. Protruding from the trunk was a lone arrow weathered and old. The arrow was pierced through the center of the head plate of a ninja headband. The fabric was pale and weathered and the metal was beginning to rust.

"What is this?" Sasuke asked. Kali stepped closer.

"This is mine; my ninja headband from the academy in my village." Sasuke was surprised. No wonder she was good at fighting, she was a ninja, too. "You see, I was one of the youngest ninja from my village; graduating the academy the same year as Oji. Even he was young for the graduation. We stuck together like glue, because we had no parents." Kali touched the headband reflectively. "Our parents were ninja as well and died in action when we were just babes. Oji and I were put in an orphanage and joined the academy as soon as we could think straight. We excelled in everything with support from each other. All was great until that day...the day my village and the neighboring village began to argue. It wasn't that bad until the words came to blows. Ninja were sent into the other village to sabotage their school and ninja base. This caused even more dispute which resulted in war. Just our luck, Oji and I graduated just in time to be drafted into the war and force to fight. Many people died but I was incapable to kill. I was...too kind." Kali's hand slid down the tree with her eyes as the painful thoughts returned. Sasuke was enthralled in the story she told. "Oji tried his best to protect me, killing for me and keeping me innocent. Just as he wanted; he's a loving brother and didn't want me to be stained by this petty war. So he hatched a plan. We would assassinate both village leaders. They weren't the Kagés, just power-hungry generals. I felt it was a great plan so we took action. We slipped out of the ranks and positioned each in a strategic hiding place each at one generals mansion. I was to kill the opposing general. Oji denied me at first, but I just had to. Going through life without killing was impossible for a shinobi."

There was a second of silence. Kali let the quiet envelope her until Sasuke spoke softly.

"Then what…?" He whispered. Kali swallowed.

"I couldn't."

Sasuke gasped lightly.

"There was no way I could kill so suddenly. I could beat him to a bloody pulp, but there was no convincing my hand to move any closer to his neck." Anger lingered in Kali's voice. "Oji had killed his general and an uproar was growing. When Oji came he finished the general I was to kill for me. Now there was no going back to the village we once new. The riots, Oji said, were growing more and more and soon there would be nothing left. I felt something stir in me that sent me searching for something to live for. I was too weak. Not being able to kill can get a shinobi killed. decided to come here until I found the strength to kill." She looked up at Sasuke. He was staring at her and she blushed and looked down. "So now, a little over three years, three little ninja fell out of the sky to wake me up and remind me this wasn't home. But now I don't know if I can leave." Sasuke approached and took hold of the arrow in the tree. He pulled it out and took the headband from the tree.

"Kali, you don't have to prove anything that you haven't already proven," he said. She stood breathless as he looked at her and handed the headband to her. She took it and looked down.

"Do you…do you mean that, Sasuke?" She said sadly. tightening her grip on the headband. Sasuke took her other hand and, when she looked up, he nodded with a small smile. Her golden eyes shed a lone tear and a smile graced her gleaming face. "I-I needed to hear that…" She thrust into a hug and Sasuke held her for a second before they both headed back to the camp. Hand in hand.


	10. Chapter 10

Oji arrived when the sky was just lighting up and the stars slowly retreated into hiding. There was a thick fog hugging the land and sweeping out into the water. He found the ninja all sleeping on the edge of the grass meeting the sand. the fire gave a weak stream of dieing smoke. He left them to sleep and stood on the shore, watching the clouds of mist roll lazily. He glanced at the paper in his hand. Kali woke not long after Oji arrived and walked up behind him.

"The next boat comes not long after the sun rises," Oji said not even glancing back to Kali. Kali wiped the sleepy from her eye lazily as she listened. "I'll attack first and you can back me up."

"This will be what the guards are trained for," Kali said.

"It won't be a walk in the park like other times," Oji followed with an agreeing thought.

"Always wanted a challenge."

"Do you want the others to help?" Kali stepped up next to her brother and looked back at the sleeping ninja.

"No, they don't need to. They would just get in the way." Oji looked at her.

"You sure you don't want to leave now? It wouldn't be hard."

"I need to do one more thing and I still don't feel ready."

"Ok," Oji shrugged, "Let's get ready to do this." He went back to the three ninja and woke them one by one. He led them through a checklist to make sure they had all they needed. "Alright, now here's how this is going down. Kal and I will raid the unsuspecting ship and remove all guards. Be ready in case we need back up, and don't hesitate. When we get the boat cleared I'll show you the reins and ya'll can set sail. And don't wait for very long after that, because another ship will be expected in the next hour." The three nodded their understanding. Naruto saw Kali pass by and head back into the forest.

"Where is Kali going?" Naruto asked.

"She has something to do this morning," Oji answered, "It will be a squeeze to get back in time to see ya leave, but it's the only chance she'll get."

"Aren't you going to tell us what it is she has to do?" Sakura asked.

"No," Oji handed the sheet of paper to the three ninja. "Maybe you can find something to do with this; I don't need it anymore." Sakura took it and began reading the schedule. Oji stepped to the edge of the woods and leaned against the base of a tree and plucked a small twig to whittle.

"So we're just going to sit here and wait??" Naruto asked crossing his arms.

"Yup," Oji replied half-heartedly. "If she doesn't show up in time for the attack on the ship, We'll have to do without."

"But why would she leave so close to the time?" Sakura asked.

"She's trying to get it done while the getting's good. Fleeting bravery can be a cruel, cruel thing, and Kali's duties require a lot from her. I give her a break on that account." Sasuke stood and walked toward the shore.

"Where ya going, Sasuke?" Sakura asked cheerily, standing as well.

"For a walk," Sasuke replied nonchalantly.

"Want me to walk with you?" She blushed lightly.

"No." He walked down the beach calmly leaving light footprints in the mushy sand. The fog had rolled back slightly and gave a little to the sparkling waters. The sun was still hidden behind some thin clouds so the day looked oddly dull. The waves sloshed up on the shore lazily like the dull day had slowed their movements. The beach wrapped all the way around the island as far as Sasuke could tell. The coast made a gradual turn out of site and made a jutting peninsula. Sasuke stopped on this and looked hard out into the water. He imagined the shore of their homeland just through the fog. There was a large splash just out of site. Sasuke saw the faint silhouette of a whale's tail slip back into the water. There must be a drop off in the sea floor for such a large animal to be so close. Sasuke turned and began to walk back toward the others.

Without the three ninja Kali's trip was much faster. She still ran into a few distracting people and animals, but she did not wait for long at any spot. She gripped her old headband in one hand and a kunai in the other.

She arrived at the house of Janoh. It was quiet, but Kali didn't notice. She entered the house without knocking and looked around for her sensei.

"You came early, Kali," Janoh said as he came out of the back room. Kali looked at him silently at first.

"Janoh sensei, it is done," She said, "I'm free from Kinas forever."

"But you still hold the second spirit with you," Janoh replied. Kali nodded.

"That is fine with me. As a matter of fact, I wouldn't have it any other way. But now I must prepare to leave."

"I understand, we made a deal and it must come to an end. Do what you must." Kali looked down, smiled, and tightened her grip on the kunai.

Oji yawned and peeked over at Naruto. Naruto was itching to move so Oji stood and walked to the shore.

"Kal had better hurry or we'll just have to do this ourselves," He said. "Let me see that schedule, Little Lady." He gestured to Sakura. Sakura instinctively handed the paper to him. It showed the first ship would be there soon. "Alright let's start getting ready, Kali's running a little late." Sasuke arrived about now and was caught in the preparations. Oji went over there supplies again and gave them about three packs of food to bring. He also set Naruto out on watch so they knew when the boat was coming. The fog had given more since the early morning so they would have at least five minutes to hide for the ambush.

Kali rushed through the woods returning to the beach. She was late and there was no doubt Oji would not hesitate for her to get there. She had to see Sasuke one more time. She had something to tell him. Her heart was pounding as she stopped momentarily. Her headband needed to be moved from her hand for speed so she had tied it around her neck. It felt strange at first, but she soon forgot it was there.

"C'mon, Kali…" She breathed as she closed her eyes for a second. She leapt into the air again and trimmed across the branches.

Oji heard someone behind them and drew his kunai while looking out into the sea. The criminal appeared silently and slowly progressed toward the supplies. Oji's tail flicked irritably. He Swung around and threw the kunai right at the man's feet. He jumped back from the attack and looked at the attacker, Oji. He didn't have much time to escape before Oji had jumped him and beat him senseless. The man whimpered away, thoroughly defeated.

"There it is!" Naruto said excitedly. A small speck appeared in the fog and came slowly closer. Oji was silent for a second before barking commands sharply. Naruto hid behind the nearest tree to the beach, Sasuke and Oji hid farther down. There were three men who jumped off of the boat and guarded the fourth and fifth man who began unloading large crates. Oji ran in first. Like lightning he darted from his hiding area and attacked the man nearest. Sasuke was right in his shadow and threw shurukin at two of the guards. Naruto and about five clones surged from the woods and barreled over the remaining guys. Two guns went off.

Kali was running swiftly over the forest floor when something jerked her to the ground by her leg. A bear trap had snapped onto her leg and refused to let go. Kali growled and sat up to reach the trap. She didn't notice the pain of the injury even though it was bleeding badly. She gripped the edges and pulled them hard apart. She snarled. This wasn't helping her time, and if she didn't hurry, they will leave before she reaches. Her heart fluttered and her cheeks flushed. Sasuke. She had to see him one more time. Just one more time. She closed her eyes and pulled harder. The trap creaked and snapped angrily.

Oji tossed the last guns into the pile of weapons. Sasuke came out from the inside of the hull.

"All clear," He said. Oji nodded his understandment. Sakura finished wrapping Naruto's arm from a gunshot and put the first aide kit away.

"So are we going to wait for Kali now?" Naruto asked. Oji shook his head slowly.

"She knew when you three had to leave and she decided to go. And another ship will soon be arriving. We can't take the chance of a sharpshooter picking us off the beach like big red targets."

"But why didn't she wait until later to do…whatever she had to do," Sasuke asked as he hopped from the boat to the beach. Oji looked at him and sighed.

"Who knows," he answered, "There is so much going on in that newly freed mind. I don't know what will happen now. We just have to keep on keepin on." Oji jumped onto the boat and stepped into the control room.

The outside of the boat was not very impressive; made of worn-down wood and discolored glass. The inside, though, was better maintained. There was complicated equipment to steer the small vessel and a small clean bed to rest. There was a small room where the supplies were kept during transport.

"Who's going to be doing the driving?" Oji yelled from the inside. All three ninja looked at each other before Sakura stood from the sand.

"I will," she said.

"Come let me show you how to work this stuff." Sakura did so and Oji launched into a very systematic lesson on how to maintain the safety of her teammates and maintain a good pace.

Sasuke looked expectantly out into the thick woods. Akkan lay lazily under a leaf the size of his large muscular body. He had his head resting on a large paw and his glassy blue eyes were comfortably shut. Some birds had woken up and were now chirping happily. The sun had almost annihilated the remaining fog and the dew was dripping from all the plants. The sun peeked from behind the clouds and shone on the lonely beach. Where was Kali? Oji jumped to the edge of the boat and leapt from the stern.

"Naruto, get some supplies and put them in the room behind the controls. Sasuke, you can help." Sasuke snapped from his stare and followed Naruto to the pile of supplies.

Kali threw the trap against a tree angrily and it shattered into many rusty pieces. She had bandaged her leg and set off. Before she got far she was interrupted by a man with a javelin and a small cage. He was gruff and looked like an old seasoned hunter.

"You steel my trapped food," the man growled.

"No, I was IN the stupid trap," Kali answered impatiently, "But you'll have to learn to place your new traps better. That one was in the way too much."

"What you do with my trap!?"

"Go see for yourself. I've got places to be." She jumped over the stocky man and continued. She was too far behind to talk.

Oji helped Sakura start up the boat and keep it running. Sasuke was staring into the woods again when Oji called him.

"Let's move, Little Sasuke," he called. Sasuke turned.

"Where is Kali?" He called back. Oji threw his arms up to say he didn't know.

"Is she even going to make it?" Naruto asked. Nobody answered but the answer was almost obvious. Sasuke's heart fell. He wanted to see her one more time. Oji shoved him and Naruto into the boat.

"Come on, kids, the boat home is departing," Oji said.

"But I have to tell Kali something!" Sasuke blurted. Oji hesitated.

"I'm sorry, kid…" He said sadly, "Kali made her decision fully aware of what was going to happen, and I made mine." He put his foot on the edge of the boat and shoved it off.

Kali heard the boat start and tried to add speed to her mad dash. When she arrived the boat was on a steady pace and heading away.

"SASUKE!" She called reaching the shore and splashing into the water. Sasuke was in the hull when he heard her and rushed out to see. "Sasuke!!" She held a kunai close then threw it hard. Sasuke barely caught it because of the distance. It was dark metal and had a deep red ribbon on it. "Don't forget me, Sasuke!!!" Kali screamed. The tears flowed down her cheeks. "I'll come find you again!!!" Sasuke blinked back the tears and waved high to the continuously shrinking island and the girl he had met there.


	11. Chapter 11

Kali sat watching the horizon for almost five hours. She sat on her legs and hung her head silently. Oji sat under the shade of a tree and whittled a stick while Akkan sat behind his back. The sun shone for the first few hours until the clouds began to roll in.

"Man," Oji said as he smiled sarcastically. "How long do you think she's going to stay out there?" Akkan looked up at Kali, purred, then laid his head down again. A light drizzle turned into a steady rain. Kali was frozen in the sand. Oji looked at her funny. "Jeese, you'd think she'd have enough sense to get out of the rain."

Kali slowly stood and staggered. _Sasuke was gone_. She moved to a tree and leapt high into it not far from the beach. _Sasuke was gone_. The gloomy weather seemed to match her lonely mood. She jumped down after a while and walked right past Oji, who had moved to stand nearby.

"Kali," he said. She didn't look. _Sasuke was gone._ Oji swung his blade swiftly and Kali instinctively blocked. She was off balance, though, and fell on her butt. "Kali! You want to see Sasuke again, right!?" Oji yelled. Kali looked at him in surprise. "You've been on this island for years already, and you still haven't improved much at all. You just want to sit here and live this sad life forever?! You're still as weak as ever. If you can't get off your lazy butt and train, you'll waste away and never see Sasuke again!" Oji was silent for a minute. "When you were with him you were happy again as if your life hadn't messed up so badly. We can both get back to that feeling if you just bend to a little change." Oji looked at her warmly and stretched out his helping hand. Kali stood with his help with small tears in her eyes. She wiped them away and looked at her brother.

"Okay, Oji," She said, "Let's get started."

_Sasuke was gone._ Oji smiled. But Kali would find him again and, this time, she would be a new girl.

The ninja arrived safe and sound to the other shore to an awaiting search party. They were rushed back to Konoha to an anxious ninja academy and friends. The story was told to everyone who listened and was known as a great adventure of Team Seven.

And so, life went on as usual. The missions came and went as always, but the ninja were changed forever. Naruto appreciated every meal like never before, Sakura felt stronger and worried about Sasuke, who seemed even more distant than before. He took more walks in the day and, strangely enough, managed to talk less. Kakashi didn't seem to notice the difference in the team and the only change was the one the team themselves noticed.

Three months later the story had been told to everyone and all were content and back to the rhythm. Even though the village had returned to normal, Sasuke never forgot the smiling face of the island girl. "Wolf girl" the village had called her. She was wild, untamed and happy. Everything she had said to him rang in his ears like a clear bell that would not fade. He wondered if what she said was true now that it had been three months now.

Sakura waited for Sasuke along the path on the way to the training field. She knew he would come this way. Sure enough he appeared.

"Hey, Sasuke!" She greeted warmly. Sasuke didn't reply; he kept walking. Sakura followed. "Are you ok? You look a little down today."

"I'm fine," Was all Sasuke said. They went through practice just like any other day and all three headed home. When they got to the main road, a ninja academy student approached.

"Hey, there's a box outside the school with Sasuke's name on it," the kid the said. Sasuke was confused as he and the other two followed the boy back.

Sasuke stared blankly at the box in the yard. It was a plain ordinary box with three large wholes on each side. On the top was his name written in large simple letters.

"It's for you, Sasuke," Sakura said as she observed his name. Sasuke picked it up and opened it cautiously. There inside the box was a dog. Not just a dog, a puppy. It was small and had soft gray-silver fur like cotton all over his body. It stood on the edge with its front two paws and looked happily at Sasuke. It's silver-cotton tail wagged happily.

"A puppy?" Naruto said curiously. "Who would give you a puppy?" Sasuke didn't reply. He was busily observing the gift. He further noticed the gleaming blue eyes that shown brightly from the youthful face and the soft, small ears. There around the pup's neck hung a buckskin string with something on the end. Sasuke touched it and pulled it away from the fluff of the neck. A sparkling crystal arrowhead lay in his hand. Sakura was complimenting on the beautiful necklace when Sasuke also saw the small rolled up letter in the box as if an after thought put in by the sender, perhaps holding the key to their identity.

Sasuke picked it out and opened it. Sakura, Naruto, and some of the other students waited to see what the message read. Sasuke didn't read it out loud for he could not find the words. "Please, do not forget me. I'm going to come." That's what the note read. The puppy barked lightly and pawed the air. Sasuke placed the box on the ground and the puppy jumped out excitedly and ran about Sasuke's feet.

"Who is it from, Sasuke?" Naruto asked. Sasuke hesitated before answering.

"Kali," he whispered. The other two gasped, but said nothing. It had been three months since they had heard that name, but Sasuke had never forgotten about her. The pup pawed at Sasuke's leg, wishing to be picked up. Sasuke lifted the pup into his arms. The dog calmed immediately and rested its head on Sasuke's arm.

"It's so cute!" Sakura said as she scratched behind the pup's ears. It's tail flipped happily.

"What's his name?" Naruto asked.

"I don't know," Sasuke answered. "Why would Kali send a dog?"

"Who knows what she's thinking," Sakura said as she shrugged. Sasuke had no idea how to take care of a dog due to the fact he had never owned one. The puppy had now fallen asleep and was warmly tucked away in Sasuke's arms.

Sasuke got to his dorm and put the dog on his bed. It didn't stir from its slumber. It was like a little memory of Kali, and reminded him of the field with the pack of wolves they had passed through. Maybe that's where this one came from. He had finally settled on a name- Arrow. Now he knew for sure Kali was coming and Arrow would wait with him.

The next morning Arrow was ecstatic and bounded around the room barking happily. Sasuke rolled over in bed and glared at the wolf. It jumped up to the bed, but fell back down. He wasn't tall enough to reach by himself. He let out another bark. He had been doing this from at least four in the morning. Arrow barked again and was smothered by a pillow. Sasuke left his arm hanging after throwing the pillow at his new pet. It crawled out from under the projectile and licked Sasuke's hand. Sasuke sat up and yawned.

"Alright, I'm up," Sasuke said lazily. He moved to the refrigerator and searched for something Arrow may like. What did dogs like anyway? What did Kiba feed his dog? Sasuke had almost nothing in his house, but found something suitable that Arrow ate without hesitation.

When Sasuke left for the meeting place for Team 7. Arrow wined loudly until Sasuke allowed him to come. The puppy trotted at Sasuke's heels. He couldn't keep up very easily due to his shorter legs. While the ninja practiced Arrow lay in the grass and watched intently. Sasuke fell from the trees do to Kakashi and his kunai flew out of his hand. Arrow bolted to it and snatched it in his mouth. Sasuke got up and search for the weapon to find Arrow sitting happily with the Kunai in his mouth. Arrow placed it in front of Sasuke and went back to his spot on the grass. The training concluded and the ninja had time off for a little while. Sasuke visited Kiba in his off time.

"Sasuke?" Kiba said in surprise, "What are you doing talking to me?" It was true Sasuke usually didn't talk to Kiba, but he needed to take care of Arrow for Kali until she came.

"I need you advice on how to raise this dog," Sasuke answered gesturing at Arrow. Kiba bent down and patted the dog's head.

"It's cute. Where did you get him?" Sasuke turned his eyes.

"A friend," he answered quickly. "I've never owned a dog before."

"Oh, I see. Ask me anything." Kiba set Akamaru down and the two pups took off to play. Sasuke watched them as he spoke.

"What do I feed him?"

"Well, anything will do for a wolf like that, but there is a store I know of that sells dog food." Kiba gave him the directions. "And everything else you can figure out. A dog is its owner's and they learn from you. Play with it, keep it company, teach it. It's young so I doubt it knows anything about how to act."

"Alright. Thanks." He called Arrow and the puppy left Akamaru to come to his master. That night, Sasuke taught Arrow how to sit, with much difficulty. During the next few weeks, Arrow learned quickly to stay, heel, shake, fetch, and to stand on his hind legs. Fetch came in handy in many ways when Sasuke said "fetch kunai" Arrow would immediately fetch the kunai of his choice.

Arrow grew to be lanky and large. He grew tall enough to jump on to Sasuke's bed, to Sasuke's disdain. The cottony-soft fur turned into a double coat of soft under and long slightly tougher outer fur. His paws grew large and his tail grew bushy and longer. He held his chest out, displaying the gleaming crystal arrowhead necklace. He held his head higher now when following his master around. He understood that Sasuke was a different human than the others; more noble and silent. Arrow displayed the same attitude- standing tall and being calm during the situations around other people. He still had a puppies spirit, though, and pranced and played when the two were alone or with Naruto and Sakura. Sasuke was amazed at how smart Arrow was. He was even comfortable talking to Arrow when they were alone. The adolescent pup would lay down, rest his head on his paws, and look intently at his master.

After one of the longer missions Sasuke sat on a hill on the countryside and watched the sun go down. Tomorrow there was going to be a mission to escort a family to a smaller village through the woods and Arrow would not be able to go. He looked at Arrow, who was playing with a flying dragonfly. He would leap and snap aggressively at the insect.

"Arrow," Sasuke said. The pup looked at the sound of his name. "You are going to have to stay with Kiba while I'm gone. You know him- he owns Akamaru." Arrow's tail wagged at the sound of his playing buddy. Arrow was twice the size of Akamaru, but they played well together. "It will only be for a day or two," Sasuke continued. Arrow was curious about the tone of Sasuke's voice and approached with ears perked. He didn't understand. Sasuke rubbed the dogs head and muzzle. Arrow was distracted by the petting and rubbed the friendly hand. "Good boy, Arrow." Sasuke stood and Arrow noticed the approaching person. He stared until recognizing Sakura; he pranced over and touched her leg with his nose, telling her he was here and wanted to be patted and maybe scratched. Sakura gave him a quick touch to recognize he was there.

"Hey, Sasuke," she nonchalantly, "Who are you leaving Arrow with while we're away?"

"Kiba if he'll take him," Sasuke answered. Sakura nodded.

"That's good. He knows a lot about dogs." Sasuke met Kiba at the Academy and asked him to take care of Arrow. Kiba agreed and all was set. Sasuke was worried Arrow would not take him leaving very well since they hadn't been apart for more than a few hours before.

He brought Arrow to Kiba's that night. Arrow was playing happily when Sasuke decided to leave. Arrow didn't notice at all until it was feeding time. He looked around curiously, then, thinking of more games, ran about the house sniffing happily, his tail whipping. Kiba felt pity on the young pup.

"Arrow," he called. The wolf only looked up for an instant before pursuing the scent of his master again. "Arrow, come get some food." Arrow ignored him. His nose his the door and he backed up a little to look at the door entirely. His eyes darted from Kiba to the door. _Open it_, he seemed to say. Kiba sighed. "Well, your food's here if you want it," he said.

The next morning Kiba was leaving for his training when he checked on Arrow. The poor wolf pup was laid in front of the door with his head on his paws, waiting for Sasuke's inevitable return. Kiba shook his head and opened the door to leave. Arrow shot out of the door like a gust of wind and took off down the road.

"ARROW!" Kiba called. It was too late, Arrow was off. "Oh, great, Kiba, lose Sasuke's dog." He went after the dog , but found no trace of him. He had no choice but to wait until he was done with practice to look for him. Maybe he just went to Sasuke's place and stayed there. He could only hope.


	12. Chapter 12

Arrow did in fact return to Sasuke's dorm only to find his owner to not be there. He wined sadly as he scratched the door lightly. No Sasuke. Why did he leave his friend? He lay down in front of the door with his head between his paws and waited for an idea of what to do to come along.

Team 7 entered the village right around noon. Naruto complained that the sun must be closer here because the air was humid and scorching hot. Sasuke had to admit it was very warn, but due to his lighter clothing it wasn't so bad. Kakashi finally convinced Naruto to unzip his jacket and the nagging finally ceased. The group was two men and a girl who felt insecure on the path. One was pregnant so the group moved slowly.

The village was abuzz with something, but the team didn't seem to notice. The group of people soon made it to their house and thanked the Ninja greatly. Sakura was amazed by the bustling street market that seemed to cover the entire main way. Everything from jewelry to food to pots was sold in this place. Kakashi collected the payment while the three ninja looked about. Sasuke caught the bit of a conversation between two men while he observed a stand full of unique kunai and Shurukin.

"I'm tellin ya, that dancer was somethin else. She was amazing," One said.

"Really? You gotta pay to see her?" The other asked.

"No, but I would to see her again. The music was perfect and she danced like she was fighting or something. And not to mention you don't ever see that kind here."

"Well, how old is she?"

"Not much older than twelve, I think. But her brother was like a freakin giant! Trust me, man, you've got to see her dance." They walked off. Sasuke caught himself staring. Could it be? No, why would Kali be here? And dancing? No. He shook his head and took a step. But... He turned and looked back.

A group huddled around a makeshift stage and a large, red curtain separated them from a lady's figure. A band sitting on the side struck up and played. Flutes drums and a shaker beat out a dancing tune. The curtain pulled back and she began to dance. The performance was only two minutes so when Sasuke got there the song had been going for a minute or so. He jumped onto a balcony to catch a glimpse. The girl swirled to the lively music and closed her eyes for most of the dance. She was so graceful and smooth. The music ceased dramatically and the curtain swung closed. Sasuke was impressed but his heart sank when he jumped from the top of the veranda. He remembered Kali having those wolf ears and tail that would have made her very recognizable. He returned to the group on ninja.

"Where did you go, Sasuke?" Sakura asked.

"For a walk," Sasuke answered. Kakashi didn't care and lead the ninja back home. Sasuke glanced back one more time toward the stage. The girl was standing in the crowd and smiling at the people who were complimenting on her dancing. She seemed to notice Sasuke's presence and looked at him. He froze when the gleaming golden eyes connected with his. A man walked between their gaze and when he passed the girl was gone.

"C'mon, Sasuke, let's go home," Kakashi called. Sasuke hesitated before following his sensei. The sun was going down when they reached the woods before the village. Sasuke's mind moved from the strange girl to Arrow, his loyal canine. How had he faired since Sasuke left? Hopefully, Kiba was taking good care of him.

Kiba let Akamaru follow Arrow's scent until they arrived at Sasuke's door. Arrow perked at the arrival of his playmate, and stood to his paws.

"There you are, Arrow," Kiba said in relief, "I thought you would have run off." Arrow looked nervous when he looked at Kiba and took a step back. His ears went back a ways. Kiba saw this. "What's wrong, boy?" Arrow recognized Kiba now as the guy who kept him from Sasuke. Akamaru barked a few times to Arrow, but the wolf wasn't budged. It took a few more steps back before turning to run. Akamaru barked after him, but he knew his short legs would do nothing against the long powerful legs of Arrow. He whimpered sadly as if apologizing to Kiba.

"It's okay, boy," Kiba said, "He misses his owner. There's nothing we can do." Kiba noticed the sun going down and hoped that mission was coming to a close.

Arrow sniffed the ground hard around the schoolyard until the faint scent of Sasuke was found. He walked to keep in track and went straight out of the village. His master had to be close.

Team seven was just outside the gate when they saw Arrow heading strait for them. The dog let out a happy bark and sped up. Sasuke stopped and Arrow tackled him head on and licked his owner's face. Naruto burst into laughter. Sasuke pushed Arrow off and sat up. The wolf leaned happily on him and thumped his tail.

"Are you ok, Sasuke?" Sakura asked worriedly. Sasuke patted Arrow on the head. For some reason he wasn't mad at all.

"I'm fine," He said, "Arrow, where is Kiba?" Arrow perked and led the way back to the village.

Kiba explained what had happened, and Sasuke was glad nothing serious had gone wrong. The next day Kakashi, Sakura and Naruto presented a gift to Arrow when Sasuke and the wolf got to the academy. Sasuke placed it in front of Arrow. The wolf sniffed it before looking at Sasuke expectantly.

"Tear into it, boy," Sasuke said. Arrow instantly had the box in shreds and stuffed his head inside. What he pulled out was unexpected- a headband! Sasuke took it and looked it over.

"I thought since you two are inseparable," Kakashi said, "I signed Arrow up for a Nin-ken Dog training course." Sasuke looked at Kakashi. "Of course, he would have to be well trained and pass before he could wear that." Arrow barked happily and took the headband from Sasuke to run around with.

"So how does it work?" Sasuke asked.

"You and Arrow would be tested on your ability to understand each other, and have to pass a rigorous exam. I think you two will do fine."

"When you two qualify, Arrow will be able to come on missions with us," Sakura added. Sasuke thought for a second.

"Alright, when do we start?" Sasuke asked.

"Today, as a matter of fact," Kakashi said with a hidden smile. "Let's get started." That day, Sasuke and Arrow passed all drills and worked like a well oiled machine. The first few tests were obedience- directing your dog to designated spots without alerting your opponent- and the others were mock missions. Some forced the owner and dog to separate and work with the knowledge of their teammate. By the end of the day Sasuke and Arrow were run down, and admired by others who had since failed. The teacher was so impressed by the teams perfect score, they were advance straight to the exam; it was much harder than the other drills. They had to defeat the teacher and his nin-ken dog.

Arrow stared angrily at his opponent's dog. It was large and black with brown paws. Arrow snarled as Sasuke stood ready. They focused and charged, side by side.


	13. Chapter 13

Two people walked down the dirt road. Casual steps. The first then the second person following. The first stopped and, pulling a leg back, kicked the toes on the ground as if adjusting the shoe taught on the foot. The second figure waited until the first continued again.

"Stupid shoes..." the first person whispered, the voice familiar to very few. The second person smiled at the companion's simple anger. The dress of the two people was something not dramatic in any way. Drab shirts and pants that were retrieved from a poor bandit helped the newcomers blend in to the village. Two medium-sized hats concealed their heads from the gleam of the sun and the sparse onlookers.

The two approached a shop selling flowers and the first person stopped. Two golden eyes sparkled from underneath the first hat as they read the sign.

"Oh, C'mon, Kal…" the second figure sighed irritably.

"Just a peak just to see if they have anything good," Kali replied, "and you can ask for directions while I look." She looked back at him. "Please, brother?" He gave one more sigh before following her into the store. Kali slid her hat back a little and approached a bundle of bright blue wildflowers. The store was small and the only other person in the store was the cashier. A girl with long light blond hair put up in a bun. She looked up with light blue eyes and a smile.

"Welcome, may I help you?" She asked. Oji looked up with a look that reminded her of the absent minded Kakashi.

"Oh, yeah, actually you can," he approached the counter. He noticed her eyes and smiled. "You have some nice eyes, pretty lady." He said with a smile. Ino blushed with surprise.

"Why, thank you," she replied, "My name's Ino Yamanaka." Oji tilted his hat back to reveal a sprig of bright orange hair, but still concealing the odd-looking cat ears.

"Oji. Nice to meet you." The name rang a bell with Ino, but she wasn't paying attention. "Are you a ninja student here?"

"Yes."

"Well, you would know where the ninja academy is, right?"

"Sure your really close from here. Do you want me to take you?"

"That would be nice of you." Oji smiled at her and looked up at Kali.

"You done, Kal?" Kali stood and picked a cerulean flower from a bouquet of others.

"What do you think?" She placed next to her eyes and modeled it.

"Beautiful!" Ino said, "A great color to bring out your golden eyes." Kali produced a few coins and paid for the flower, not wanting it wrapped.

Ino yelled up to her mom a goodbye and led the way out of the shop. Oji turned his hat down again and walked up next to Ino.

"Could you just point it out? I think I want to go one more place first."

"Sure," Ino replied. She led them to the academy and Oji thanked her kindly.

"Maybe I'll see you around," Oji said as he waved and went a different way. After a second Kali chuckled.

"She liiikes you," Kali said with a grin. Oji chuckled, but said nothing. They continued down the street. "So where we going, Bra?" She prodded as she rested her hands on the back of her head.

"I was hoping to find Sakura first. I have a plan." Kali perked.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, see, we'll make this reunion interesting." They looked at each other with sly grins and picked up their pace.

Sasuke and Arrow stood in a line of three other ninja and their dogs. The first had a medal and the teacher moved to Sasuke. Sasuke stood tall and Arrow sat at his side with his head held high

"Sasuke and Arrow, for your amazing ability to cooperate and complete missions, I now declare you ninja and nin-kin dog." He handed Sasuke a medal and Arrow couldn't keep his tail from wagging. When they left Sasuke took the headband Kakashi had given him and tied it around Arrow's neck.

"Alright, Arrow, now you can come with me wherever I go." Sasuke received a face full of wet love from Arrow before he could stand up. Arrow whined a happy bark and ran in a circle. There was now another pendant of pride around Arrow's furry neck. Sasuke remembered Kali and felt a rush. Arrow was almost an adult and she still wasn't here.

It was just afternoon now and Sasuke had finished the class so early he had nothing to do all day. Maybe he would go back and get Arrow something to eat. He deserved something nice after today's performance. When he got home he began rummaging through what little food he had. Usually it was only him, but since Arrow came along it had been different. Arrow ate more like a vacuum cleaner than a dog, inhaling everything that smelled good.

Arrow pranced around the room and enjoyed the sound of the headband clanking on his neck. He jumped onto the bed and his tail hit the small table nearby. A small item fell from on top and Arrow honed in on it as it bounced on the floor. Sasuke heard the commotion and looked up from the fridge.

"What are you dong over there, Arrow?" He called. Arrow trotted up and placed the cat whistle on the floor in front of him. Sasuke picked it up. "I haven't seen this since…" He didn't finish. What if he thought so long ago was true? What if this whistle worked the same as Kali's whistle? He put it in his pocket and shut the refrigerator door. "C'mon, boy. We'll eat out today." Arrow yipped excitedly and followed Sasuke out.

Kali looked up at the balcony and then back down at Oji who stood next to her.

"Are you sure this is it?" She asked. Oji nodded.

"I asked three people already and they said this was it," Oji answered with his incessant smile. Kali shrugged

"Okay, but if it ain't," She warned.

"I know, I know," Oji replied. With a glance to each side, he made a simple jump and landed softly on the balcony. Using his skillful eyes he peeked around the room. It was definitely Sakura's room. There was a picture on the dresser of Team 7. There also was a dress on a manikin in the corner that made Oji think of Sakura. Kali followed him in the same manner and whistled impressed.

"This is definitely her room," Kali said as she removed her hat and sat on the bed. Oji removed his as well and scratched his head, ruffling his hair. He looked up and down the dress standing in the corner. "How long we gonna wait?"

"As long as we must," Oji replied, "She shouldn't be long now since Ino is a ninja and she was home. I suspect all ninja get out about the same time." Kali nodded.

"Alright," She laid on the bed and rested her head on her hands. Oji picked up the picture and looked at it before beginning to go through the many perfumes and trinkets on her dresser.

Sasuke approached the center of the village and tried to pick from the many food stands. He finally settled on a fresh meat pie stand. He approached and ordered two. Arrow sat and looked around the square. There were so many other smells! He lifted his nose in the air and took a large whiff. Fresh ramen, meat, and stir fry filled the air mixing with the multiple scents of people. Sasuke brandished the fresh meat pie in front of Arrow's nose and Arrow perked.

"This is yours, Arrow. Let's go eat it before it gets cold," Sasuke said. Arrow and Sasuke went to a secluded place and ate their food. Arrow swallowed his almost whole and rested his head on Sasuke's lap to relax. Sasuke took the last bite of his food and pulled the whistle Arrow had found from his pocket. He looked at it for a second before blowing it lightly. An inaudible sound resonated from the whistle. Not long after, Arrow looked up and sniffed curiously. Sasuke was dozing when this happened and opened one eye to see. Arrow stood and sniffed harder before whining nervously and stepped in place nervously. Sasuke sat up and looked closer.

"What is it, boy?" Sasuke asked. Right when the words left his mouth Arrow bolted away. Sasuke could have sworn he was leaving a trail of dust as fast as he was running. Sasuke stood and ran after Arrow, but the wolf was too fast and left Sasuke behind. He wasn't worried, though, Arrow had to have a good reason to run off and he never left for long.

Oji looked out the window.

"Hey, Sasuke found the whistle," he said, "I wonder how long he's had that thing..." Kali heard the door on the first floor close and Sakura's voice yelled to her mother.

"I'M HOME, MOM!" Sakura yelled. Kali just lay there tracking Sakura's movements below until Sakura got to the door. Oji was observing his reflection in the mirror behind the door when it flung open. Sakura screamed, Kali sat up in surprise and Oji was shoved against the wall by the door.

"Hey!" Kali said in shock. Sakura flung a shurukin at Kali instinctively and Kali lunged back to dodge. Oji came out from behind the door rubbing his bruised head.

"Now that's not necessary!" Oji roared. Sakura spun around and Oji grabbed her arm to keep her from punching him. "Hey, hey, now, Little lady, keep the fists of fury down." Sakura suddenly noticed who it was.

"Oji!?" She looked back at Kali, who was staring at the shurukin that was buried in the wall. "Kali!? You came!" Kali smiled at her and plucked the weapon from the wall.

Sasuke called Arrow again. The dog had vanished! He walked down the street a ways before calling again. Maybe he was on a trail of something, like Akamaru or something. He turned to Kiba's house. Maybe that's where he was. Going there was better than wandering around the village.

Arrow slowed when he reached Ino's flower shop. He spun around and traced Kali's scent to the academy. She was his long lost friend and he had waited for her to return since his birth. He remembered the first person he saw like he had seen her yesterday. She had told him to protect the one he was given to and she would return to him. He glanced over to the bushes and saw the large black figure of Akkan staring at him with the piercing, ice blue eyes. They stared at each other for the most of three minutes before Arrow shot off in the direction Kali and Oji had gone.

"What took you so long?" Sakura asked Kali and Oji. Kali scratched her head nervously.

"Well," She said.

"You know, this huge village isn't that easy to find when you haven't been on the mainland since childhood," Oji said with a bit of sarcasm.

"Yeah, and the things on the island got a little shaky for a while." Kali continued. "We couldn't exactly get a ride for a bit. Not to mention other difficulties. I'll tell you all when we get together."

"Speaking of which, we'd better get going." Oji stretched and stepped to the door, opening for the girls. Sakura and Kali walked out and Kali nodded at Oji a thank you. "So, Little Lady, where would THE Naruto Uzumaki?" Oji asked.

"Hm, he's probably at his favorite ramen place, Ichiraku, right now."

"Good, let's swing by him first."

"Oh, brother," Kali said, having a sudden idea, "Let's mess with 'em a little." Oji looked to his side down at her.

"I'm listening," Oji said as the group stopped. Kali smiled and explained her plan carefully.


	14. Chapter 14

Sasuke left Kiba's house disappointedly. Arrow wasn't there. Neither had he been there all day. Now he had no leads of where the dog may be. Sasuke stopped in the middle of the empty street. Could it be… he shook his head and put his hand of his brow. But it had been half a year already, why would she be here now? Wouldn't she had come earlier? No matter what he said to himself the thoughts of her being here were undefeatable.

"Would that be why Arrow was so excited to leave?" Sasuke picked up his pace to get into town.

Naruto slurped happily on the ramen he always got. The bowl was soon empty and he paid his bill.

"Hey, Naruto," Sakura called. Naruto spun around in surprise. She was waving as she walked closer by herself.

"H-Hey, Sakura," Naruto replied in confusion.

"Can I talk to you, Naruto," Sakura said as she grabbed Naruto's hand to pull him along. Naruto's face turned red.

"You want to talk…to me?"

"Mm-hm," Sakura nodded, "But in secret." Naruto's face glowed even more. Sakura led him to the outer woods of the village. Kali glared down at the two and smiled. With one wave of the hand, she signaled Oji on the ground to move. "Naruto, I"- Sakura was interrupted by a rustle in the bushes. Naruto looked around, completely caught off guard.

"What was that?" He asked.

"I don't know," Sakura lied as she took a step away from Naruto. A rumbled followed and Naruto was frozen with fear. Before he could do anything, a black mass leapt from the bushes and bowled him over like a helpless rabbit. A scream of surprise from Naruto and a snarl from the beast on him mixed in a second before silence. Akkan gave Naruto a big lick and purred loudly. Sakura burst out laughing along with Oji and Kali as they emerged from the bushes. Naruto sat up.

"What the…!?" Naruto started before being drowned in another lick from Akkan.

"Is that all you have to say to your long lost friends, Blondie?" Oji said as Akkan returned to his side. Naruto stood.

"Kali! Oji!" Naruto exclaimed. The two siblings smiled wide. Arrow trotted up to the group and licked Kali's hand.

"Hey, buddy!" Kali knelt down and hugged the wolf around the neck. "What did you end up naming him?" She asked Naruto.

"His name is Arrow now," Naruto answered.

"Arrow…how sweet…"

"Sasuke named him after that necklace."

"Hey! A headband! Arrow, are you a ninken dog!?" Arrow barked happily and she laughed excitedly. "I'm so proud of you. What you have become is astounding." Oji smiled and coughed emphatically.

"Alright, now that almost everyone's here," Oji said. "It is time to talk about the plan of action." Oji flinched. "Well, Little Sasuke sure is being generous with that whistle of his. Or should I say, my whistle." He continued with his plan, all the friends listening intently. All happy to finally be reunited, and all excited about Sasuke and Kali's reunion. Naruto and Sakura added there thoughts into the plan and eventually, Oji just settled onto a simple yet decent plan of action.

"We only have one person left," Kali said as Oji finished. Oji smiled and scratched his head.

"Yeah the only person we haven't actually met yet," Oji laughed, "I'm actually nervous." Sakura laughed at his humorous face as he said this.

Naruto and Sakura had only one place to look for their master and that was at the academy. Arrow sniffed out the sensei with Kali's request. The wolf trotted at a good pace and found Kakashi casually walking down the street, fully absorbed in his book.

"Hey, Kakashi sensei!" Naruto called. Kakashi looked back.

"Hello, Naruto," He said nonchalantly.

"There's some people we want you to meet, Sensei," Sakura said. "This is Kali and Oji from the island. Kali and Oji bowed politely at the same time.

"It's nice to meet you, Kakashi sensei," Kali said.

"So this is the Kali and Oji I have heard about," Kakashi said in surprise. "You know, Sasuke has been waiting for you." Kali smiled at him.

"Yeah, I've heard," she said. Oji took over.

"It truly is an honor to meet you. Hearing of you from this team is not the only I've heard. You are an amazing ninja to look up to." He shook Kakashi's hand.

"Thank you," Kakashi said humbly.

"Alright, Brother," Kali fidgeted restlessly and touched his arm in a childlike fashion. "Can we get this done now. We've kinda been waiting for a while already."

"Hm...yeah, ok," Oji shrugged and adjusted his hat from his back to his head. "Let there be a reunion." Kali smiled and Arrow whined excitedly.

Sasuke put the whistle back. Oji had to have heard that. If the whistle even worked that way. He got to the ramen shop expecting to see Naruto at his usual spot. But he was surprised when Naruto wasn't there. It didn't bother him too much, though, Naruto being the spontaneous idiot that he was could be anywhere. Sasuke walked and found himself at the academy and saw Sakura petting Arrow. He approached.

"Hey, Sasuke!" She said in slight surprise.

"Hello, Sakura. Where did you find Arrow?"

"Oh, he was here already." Sasuke knelt by Arrow.

"Arrow, what's wrong?" The puppy licked his face then whined and fidgeted. When Sasuke stood he felt a hard hand on his shoulder. The hand spun him around and angry eyes glared him in the face.

"Hey!" and angry voice roared. A rimmed hat covered the man's face. "You… rang?" Oji changed his voice to a happy one and pulled his hat off with a bow. Sasuke couldn't breathe. It was the bright orange-headed Oji!

"But…but," Sasuke's mind reeled at the sight of the long lost friend. Oji laughed.

"What's wrong, Little Sasuke, not expecting to see the person you kept ringing for!?" Oji put a hand on Sasuke's shoulder again and held out the other hand expectantly. "Hand it over before you hurt someone with it." Sasuke snapped out of it and pulled out the whistle. Before he could put it in Oji's hand he heard a warm voice.

"Don't give it to him. You'll never get it back," Kali said as she stepped up. Arrow pranced around her and then around everyone with excitement. Sasuke froze. He felt the relief of knowing she was here and seeing her out of the deep forest. She wore a pine green shirt that had a V-neck and one side swept from her right shoulder to her left hip, and some brown Capri pants. Kali had the blue flower set in her hair around her ear; surprisingly, a human ear, not wolven.

"Kali..." He sighed. She laughed lightly and clasped her hands behind her.

"Nice to see you too," she said. Not a second after she had said that Sasuke embraced her. She was surprised at first, but soon returned the hug.

"I was worried you weren't coming," he said.

"Me too," she replied. Akkan appeared and sat next to Naruto. He purred loudly and surprised Naruto. Kali and Sasuke separated and Kali laughed at Naruto's face of surprise.

"What happened to your ears?" Sasuke asked.

"Oh," Kali touched her ear, "Thank Oji for that," she looked at her brother. He bowed sarcastically.

"Yeah, it's a trick I've learned." Oji explained. "A jutsu I discovered in a small village along the way. As a matter of fact, a very warm, market town." He smiled. Sasuke realized the girl he had seen was Kali after all. "It allows me to hide the unsightly feature of the ears so she could fit in better with the academy students.

"Wait," Sakura said in confusion, "Are you saying Kali is going to be in the ninja academy?" Kali's smile gleamed.

"Not just me," She said, "Oji's going into it, too. We just couldn't resist being ninja's again." They continued to talk for a while as the sun finally set on the busy day. When the darkness came they all had to depart to their dorms and homes.

"So where are you two going to stay?" Naruto asked as they were about to split.

"Oh, I found a decent-priced dorm that we'll share for a while, until we find something better," Oji answered with a yawn following.

"It will be different, this new way of life, but I think we'll manage." Kali continued as Oji yawned. His tail flicked and he wiped his eyes sleepily. Sakura noted he acted like a child a lot for being the older brother. He was immature and responsible at the same time, which is a strange combination. They all said goodbye and for the first time, Kali felt at home; as if this is where she was supposed to be. The restless feeling in her gut was gone, and all seemed right.


	15. Chapter 15

Kali plopped into the fresh bed and tossed her backpack to the floor. Sweet Grass, an auburn wolf lifted her head from the matt by the door. She was only interested for a second before resting her head back down and closing her brown eyes to sleep. Kali stared at her calm companion for a while. Sweet Grass was the calm and collected sister of Wind Song. There was a split in pack as soon as Kali had left. Kali returned not long after she found out about this and returned to solve the issue. Through this, Sweet Grass joined Kali and agreed to come with her here. The wolf felt obliged to come, due to the fact Arrow is the son of Wind Song.

"Wow, Sweet," Kali said to the wolf, "Even wolves' lives are complicated." Sweet Grass twitched an ear, but no other sign of consciousness presented itself. Kali smiled and rested her eyes.

"Hey, Kali," Oji called from the small kitchen.

"Yeah," Kali replied.

"When does the school start? I mean, what time in the morning?"

"Hm..." Kali sat up and searched the calendar on the desk that had yet to be put up. "It says...early." She heard Oji huff sarcastically. They went on for a while before shutting their separate doors and falling into sleep.

The next morning, Kali orchestrated the morning and got them both out of the house with only a few minutes to spare. They decided to run there to get the blood pumping. It soon turned into a race and they laughed happily as they darted through the streets. Ino had just emerged from her house when the two came rushing by.

"Hey, Oji!" she called. The two slowed to a stop. Kali smiled at Oji who grinned at Ino and waved.

"What's up, Ino," he greeted as she walked up.

"How did yesterday go?"

"Good, the plan went off without a hitch and we got a spot in the ninja academy."

"Cool," she smiled. Oji gestured in the direction they were going politely. "Join us for the walk?" She chuckled.

"Sure!" Ino took a place next to Oji. All Oji had to do was get her started and she would talk for most of the walk. It was okay with him, though; he listened well. Kali trailed then skipped ahead, and sort of moved about restlessly, unhappy the race had come to an end so quickly. She fell back slightly and observed Ino. Ino was pretty, sure, but she's trying to get oil out of a water well. Kali looked ahead and saw Team seven arriving at school. She knew there classes were different than theirs so she decided not to approach. They had a life and missions and such that they had to get to. She had stuff to do as well. They got into the school, applied quickly and the day had began.

Two hours later. Oji sat in his new class staring at his teacher. _Augh_, he thought to himself with an outward sigh, _My brain is melting... how do they get through this?_ He rested his chin on his arms, laid on the desk. He twitched his ear and one of the girls made a surprised noise Oji hadn't heard before. He looked at her and she snapped to attention staring nervously at the teacher. Oji only looked for a second before his lazy attention rested back on the teacher. He was writing something on the board about a ninja's sneaking ability. Oji wasn't impressed. This trivial knowledge was long since learned. He closed his eyes for a second.

"Oji!" The teacher called sternly. Oji's eyes opened slowly and he seemed to barely be there. "Since you seem so confident, why don't you tell us the problem with this ambush tactic." Oji didn't move for a second. He observed the board and the plan drawn there, before standing and taking a breath.

"Well, first off, the attack defies the gravitational factor;" Oji answered, "not to mention the assailant is placed at a very vulnerable position making him easy prey for the enemy scout."

"Very good,"-

"And one more thing," Oji continued, "The ambush is set incorrectly due to the fact that the assailant is too far right, setting him or her in an awkward situation and causing the attack to be weaker than being farther left." There was a pause as the teacher stared in surprise at the drawing.

"Well, your right," he complied impressed. Oji sat back down and rested his head back in its comfortable position on the desk. The teacher looked awkwardly at him before continuing the lesson. Oji went pack to his thoughts and looked out the window. _I wonder how sis is doing..._

The bell rang and students filled the halls. Kali flowed with them and moved to her designated locker. A boy approached.

"Hey, you new here?" he asked. Kali looked at him with a smile.

"Yeah," she answered.

"My names Aaron," he produced his hand.

"Kali, nice to meet you," she shoot his hand then proceeded to change books in her locker.

"So how long have you been here?"

"Just today I joined. And you?"

"Oh, about two years." Kali closed the locker and turned to walk down the hall, books wrapped in her arms and some in her backpack. "Need some help with those?" He gestured to the books.

"No thank you, my brother will be here soon and he will help." Just as she said it, Oji appeared from the crowd and stood behind Aaron.

"And you are...?" Oji growled as he towered over the younger boy. Aaron sweated and looked up.

"Hey, Oji," Kali said calmly, "This is Aaron. He was just offering to help with my books." Oji glared at the nervous boy.

"Ah, well, Aaron," Oji spat the name out roughly, "You wouldn't want to be late, would you..." Aaron sweated more before laughing, even more uneasy than before.

"Uh...right, see ya round Kali!" and in an instant he was gone. Kali looked up at Oji who was holding his hand out for Kali's books. She produced them. She didn't approve fully of his actions, but she knew where the kid was going with his offers and she didn't want to be rude. Might as well let Oji do that for her.

"So how is your day so far, Oji?" Kali asked as they walked down the hall. They had the same class so they had no reason to part.

"Augh!" Oji moaned, "I don't think I can take much more of this! This school thing is crazy."

"You're tellin me!" Kali agreed, "The questions are so trivial. But don't worry, we should be able to ace the tests and move up to actual ninja ranks by next week."

"A whole week!?"

"Yes, Oji, a whole week. That will be enough time for one test to go by, and them to know our skill." Oji stuffed his hands in his pockets as they entered the classroom. Kali nudged Oji and pointed with her eyes at a familiar face. Oji spotted him instantly- Aaron sat and talked with a friend.

"Hey, Kal," Oji said, making eye contact with her. His crazy smile told Kali what he was thinking. She smiled back.

"Aw, Oji, C'mon," She looked away in play hesitation.

"C'mon, Kali it's just a little fun." Kali looked back up to him and returned the crazy smile.

Aaron turned from his friend at the lull in the conversation and saw Kali sit in the chair next to him. He jumped in surprise.

"Hey, Aaron," she greeted with a smile.

"H-hey, Kali!" He almost smiled if he hadn't spotted the cross-faced Oji sit next to Kali. "oh…" He groaned lightly. Oji shot a look at Aaron that made the helpless boy hold his breath. "Hey," he leaned in to whisper to Kali. "What's with your brother?" he whispered.

"Oh, he's kind of a body-guard type." Kali leaned back in her chair. Oji rested his head on his arms like before and glared at Aaron. For most of the class Aaron sat straight, trying to keep Kali between him and Oji. When the class let out, Oji laughed. Kali just smiled in pleasure. There had been a few boys like Aaron and Oji had helped with most.

Sasuke looked up and wiped the sweat from his brow. He threw out the handful of weeds he was pocking from the old lady's garden. He looked up at the lone cloud in the sky that was in no hurry to cover the blazing hot sun. He thought of Kali. How was she doing he wondered. It should be time for the last lesson by now. Where would she go after class? Maybe to the woods, or possibly back to her house. Sasuke pulled a tough weed from the earth and settled on an idea. He would go by her house after he was through here. Maybe she wouldn't be busy and… He could think of nothing to do once he got there! Oh, well, he would think it over on the way over there.

Naruto yelped as the lady whacked him upside the head for pulling up the wrong plants. Sasuke watched for a second before pulling another weed. This liking a girl stuff wasn't one of his things. Just like owning a dog wasn't something he had done before. He gave a sigh.

Kali held her books in her arms and headed home. Oji had gone to the woods to visit Akkan and wouldn't be back for some time. So Kali had the entire day to herself. But what to do today? She was about half way to her house when she was met by Ino.

"Hey, Ino, what's up?" Kali greeted.

"Just wondering where your brother is. Do you know?" Ino replied. Kali pondered for a second.

"I don't exactly where he is, but he should be in the woods somewhere."

"Thanks, Kali!" Ino set off.

"Oh, Ino, he may not want to be disturbed!" Kali called out. Ino waved back to show she had heard, but didn't hesitate any. Kali sighed at the irony of Oji's situation and headed on her way. She got home and was greeted by Sweet Grass and her not so energetic self. The wolf approached with a slowly wagging tail before retreating to her food bowl. "Wow, Sweet Grass, that was a heck of a greeting," Kali said sarcastically. The dog's tail swayed once. Kali threw her books onto the bed and fell onto it herself.

Sasuke walked down the busy afternoon street. People bought and sold their goods merrily, and the small children ran in and out of the groups of parents. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and read all of the signs he passed. Feeling the change in his pocket, he thought of maybe buying something for Kali. He sighed. What did girls like anyway? He tried to think of what Sakura liked. Somehow, he doubted Kali would like what that crazy fangirl liked.

He passed by a knickknack shop and peered into the wares. Maybe something like this. He was studying the things when the shop keeper approached.

"Need something, kid?" he asked. Sasuke didn't want this to be to complicated so he turned to leave.

"Nah," he replied.

"How about something for that girl in your life? Got one, kid?" The shopkeeper asked. Sasuke turned. "Here's a very special flower for said girl." He produced a glass flower molded to resemble a rose. And one of the blue ones Kali had behind her ear yesterday.

"How much is it?" Sasuke asked.


	16. Chapter 16

Ino strolled through the woods searching for Oji. He had to be around here somewhere. The woods fell silent around her, and there was a small sound floating through the trees. She held her breath to hear it, but it was too far away to recognize. Pinpointing where it was coming from, Ino headed toward it to hear it better. Soon she could hear the clear, smooth echo of a wooden flute. It was such a beautiful melody Ino was entranced with it immediately. Who was playing? She snuck closer and soon peeked around a bush to see the musician. Oji sat cross-legged and played the flute calmly. Akkan, the large black panther curved around Oji's side and flicked his tail contentedly.

Ino smiled and blushed slightly. It was something about Oji's calm face and beautiful music that made her soften. She was actually behind him, and soon found herself sitting against a tree in plain view listening to Oji play.

Kali had pulled herself off the bed and was rummaging through her homework when there was a knock at the door. Kali heard Sweet Grass bark once then twice. Kali emerged from the back room and chided the wolf quietly, letting her know it was fine. She opened the door and made eye contact with Sasuke. She smiled warmly, and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Hey, Sasuke," she said in surprise. "I didn't expect you today." Sasuke caught himself smiling then turned away in a blush.

"Well, if you're busy, I could…" Sasuke said quickly. Kali took his hand gently.

"I wasn't doing anything," she said softly, "Come on in." She led the way inside. Sweet Grass sniffed the newcomer happily before returning to the matt by the door. Sasuke felt extremely nervous about the whole deal. More nervous than when they were back on the island. He fumbled the glass flower in his hand behind him before pulling it to the front.

"I…I've got something for you," Sasuke said. Kali turned around from looking in the refrigerator for something to eat, and gasped.

"Oh, Sasuke! It's beautiful!" She exclaimed as she took the flower gently. "Where did you find this?!" Her face was glowing with happiness.

"Oh, somewhere," Sasuke answered as he looked down. Kali hugged him around the neck.

"Oh, thank you, Sasuke!" she jumped back and went to the counter. Sasuke was left blushing even further and frozen. "I'm going to put it in a nice vase and put it by my bed!" She quickly found a vase and placed it by her bed. Sasuke watched as she did so.

"Hey, um," Sasuke felt terrible; frustrated by his lack of courage. Kali was looking at him now, caught by his words. "I know this place…we could get something to eat. Do you- um..." Kali stepped close to him.

"I'd love to," she said with a smile. Sasuke felt relief. Something about her warm understanding face made him feel a lot better. Sasuke led the way to the small shop that sold shave ice. Sasuke had just enough money to buy two small cones. Kali suggested sitting for a while, and they ended up on a hill with a few trees. They sat against a large tree facing where the sun would set. Kali enjoyed her shave ice for a while before looking at Sasuke. He was watching the clouds. She leaned closer and tried to look at the same cloud as he was.

"What ya looking at?" She asked. He snapped out of his trance.

"Oh, nothing," he replied hastily. He took a small bite of his shave ice. Arrow suddenly trotted up and sniffed imploringly at the ice. "Hey, Arrow," Sasuke patted the dog's head. "Hey, Kali, where did Arrow come from?" Kali thought for a second.

"He is the son of Wind Song, the wolf that escorted us out of the field. remember her?" She answered.

"Yeah, but why did you take him away from her?"

"She died after the birth of Rain, Arrow's sister," Kali said grimly.

"But where is Rain now?"

"She didn't last long either. There was a bad fight among the wolves and she was too weak to make it." Sasuke looked at Arrow.

"So he's an orphan…" Arrow rested his head on Sasuke's leg. The sun was covered by a small cloud and the temperature cooled slightly.

Oji finally looked up from his flute at Akkan. The large cat was stretched out next to Oji and was resting is eyes calmly. Oji smiled.

"Good, boy," Oji said as he patted the large muscular head of the feline. Oji sensed a presence behind him and looked back. Ino lay against a tree dozing off. He walked up to her and poked her on the shoulder. "Hey, wake up, sleepy head." He said kindly. Ino stirred and opened her eyes. seeing Oji right in front of her, she jumped.

"Oji!" She exclaimed. Oji smiled and helped her to stand.

"What are you doing way out here?" Oji asked.

"Oh, I was looking for you. You play the flute very well," Ino replied slightly blushing. Oji was uncomfortable knowing he was watched, but was glad he hadn't known before.

"Thank you," Oji replied. Akkan appeared beside his master and startled Ino.

"What the-?" Ino exclaimed.

"It's okay," Oji calmed quickly. "This is Akkan, my friend. Akkan, this is Ino." Akkan sniffed warily, yawned and stared at the new girl. "He likes you." Oji said.

"Okay," Ino was brave enough to pat the large cat on the head. They visited for a little while before heading back into town. Akkan remained at the secret place and curled up for another nap. "When did you learn to play the flute?"

"Oh, back when I was a child," Oji racked his brain to remember. "I loved how it sounded and taught myself in the spare time I had."

"Wow, cool," Ino stepped closer as they walked. She liked Oji. He was very charming. Oji peeked down at her (he was a little taller than her). She was doing that blushing thing again. They made it to the village and Oji saw Sakura wandering about, most likely searching for Sasuke. He walked up next to her and threw his arm around her to shock her.

"What's up, Little Lady?" He asked the surprised Sakura.

"Oh, hey, Oji," she replied. Ino stood wide-eyed. She couldn't believe Sakura had another cute guy-friend! "I was looking for Sasuke, have you seen him?"

"No, not really…" Oji scratched his head and looked back at Ino. "Hey, Pretty Lady, you seen Sasuke?" Ino shook her head.

"Sakura, can I talk to you," she growled through her teeth.

"Sure, Ino," Sakura replied as she stepped away from Oji. Ino made sure they were a good distance before saying anything.

"How could you do that!?" Ino said forcefully.

"Do what?" Sakura replied in surprise.

"First Sasuke is on your teem and now Oji is with you too!? Why do you always get the cute guys!?" Sakura gasped when she realized what Ino was implying.

"Oh, No! No! He's just a friend! I would never start liking him!" Ino was taken back.

"Really? Then why…?" She pointed back at the awaiting Oji.

"He's just oddly social, and refuses to use my name," there was a hint of spite at the last sentence.

"Oh, ok," Ino said softly, "Sorry, Sakura."

"Hey, Little Lady," Oji called. Sakura looked. "I think I know where Little Sasuke is." Ino flinched.

"He calls him 'Little'?" she whispered to herself. She wondered what kind of nickname he had given Naruto, and recalled he had called her Pretty Lady.

Kali was resting her head on Sasuke's shoulder. She peeked up and saw Sasuke's peaceful face. He was resting. She wondered if he was actually sleeping or just dozing. When she lifted her head he opened his eyes and looked at her. She had an idea.

"Hey, Sasuke, wanna do something fun?" She asked. Sasuke woke up more from his sleepy state.

"Like what?" He replied.

"Like a training battle; Just to warm us up and to do something." She stood and pulled Sasuke by the hand. Sasuke blinked in surprise as he was pulled to his feet.

"But where?"

"Why, in the woods. You aren't scared I'll beat you, are you?" Sasuke flinched then recovered with a smile.

"Not a chance!" he said.

Kali stood across from Sasuke and they each were tense and prepared. Both also had a large grin of pleasure.

"Ready?" Kali started.

"Set?" Sasuke said.

"GO!" They both said and jumped up into the trees. They met half way and clanked kunai. Kali swung a kick and Sasuke put up his free hand to block. They thrust apart and Kali moved to the left. Sasuke tracked her and cut her off. Again the punches and kicks flew. Kali found herself on the upper hand and flung Sasuke to the ground. He hit on his back. Kali lunged down, but he rolled backwards and to his feet, dodging her attack.

She jumped at him and he swung her off balance and was about to attack when Kali pulled him along with her to the ground. They went tumbling, each trying to gain the advantage over the other. They finally rolled to a stop in a clearing. Sasuke held Kali's arms above her head pinning her down. They were both breathing heavily and smiling. Kali saw Sasuke had finally relaxed and was actually enjoying himself.

"Looks like you're a great ninja," Kali said between breaths.

"You're not too bad either," Sasuke replied. He held her for a second longer before rolling to the side and resting on the ground. Kali sighed and looked at him.

"Sasuke," she started, staring at the trees above. He looked at her. "I know this is different for you- having feelings like these. It's different for me too, but I want you to know there is no rush." Sasuke sat up and she looked at him with a smile. "I know you have a reputation of being strong alone. I've seen the looks girls give you. Just know I'm always on your side." For some reason the words lingered in Sasuke's mind. He smiled back at her.

"Thank you, Kali," he said. Her smile widened before she stretched and sat up. Sasuke stood and helped her to her feet.

"I bet Oji's having fun finding out where I am. I'm sure we've been gone for a while."

"And I bet Sakura is looking for me, too," Sasuke sighed, "She always is." Kali laughed as they headed back.

Oji walked ahead of the two girls with his hands on his head leisurely. The girls were chitchatting about some nonsense of their sensei and Oji wasn't really paying attention. He really had no idea why they were following him in the first place. His stomach growled and he stopped abruptly. Ino noticed he had stopped just before she would have hit him.

"What's up, Oji?" She asked. Sakura wondered, too. Oji was silent for a second.

"Hm….," He looked up at the sun to determine it was past lunch and he still had eaten nothing. "I need some lunch," he finally answered. Ino looked around for a restaurant.

"Are we going to eat out somewhere?" Ino asked. Oji pulled the insides of his pockets out- empty.

"Guess not, Pretty Lady, I'll just have to see if Kal has made any lunch. Do you want to come?" Ino shook her head.

"I shouldn't, I probably need to get back to the house," She said.

"Alright, see you later," Oji and Ino separated and Sakura followed Oji.

"Do you mind if I come with you to see if I can find Sasuke?" Sakura asked. Oji looked down at her.

"No, I don't. Why exactly are you looking for Little Sasuke?"

"Oh, no reason," Sakura blushed as she looked at the ground. Oji looked away. He wondered if Kali and Sasuke were going to make their relationship public, and how Sakura would react. He shrugged; it wasn't his problem.

Sasuke and Kali parted ways when they got to the door of Kali's house. Kali discovered she had gotten home before Oji and rummaged through the refrigerator for something to feed her soon-to-be unhappily hungry brother. She whipped up a little lunch and settled into her desk for the small amount of homework she had.

Oji arrived not long after and had the lunch devoured. He wrestled a bit with Sweet Grass before beginning to sharpen one of his blades. Kali set her pencil down and looked out the window. The life they had now was solid and beautiful. She had a schedule, friends, duties, and a goal in life- to become a brilliant Kunoichi. Oji had opened up to people and was doing very well in class. She smiled and thought of Sasuke. Not to mention the amazing guy she had met. Finally the terrible weight of darkness was gone and it was replaced with the innocent light of living. She sighed closed her eyes and let go of her dark past, leaving a blank slate for the new beginning.

Fin


End file.
